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ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN; 

OR, 

Tales of Life, War, Travel, and 
Colorado Methodism. 



ISAAC HAIGHT BEARDSLEY, 

w 

OF THE COLORADO CONFERENCE, 

Author of "The True Sabbath," "Genealogical History of the Beardsley 
Family," Etc. 



INTRODUCTION 

BY 

REV. DAVID II. MOORE, D. D., 

Editor of the Western Christian Advocate. 




CINCINNATI : CURTS & JENNINGS. 
NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS. 



COPYRIGHT, 1898, 
BY ISAAC HAIGHT BEARDSLEY. 

/ " v h H&l'-i 0. 



DEDICATORY. 



To the rank and file of the great itinerant host, 
who, in humble positions, 
toil on from year to year on scant pay and with little 
encouragement ; 
To their devoted wives, cheerful students of 
economy from day to day ; 
And to all who have been led to Christ, or encouraged on their heavenward 
journey through our ministry, 
This volume is sincerely and prayerfully 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



PREFATORY. 



l HIS book is the outcome of a lifetime of active service, 



* covering more than threescore years. It is not a biog- 
raphy, yet it contains much that is biographic. It is not a 
history, yet it is full of historical matter. Those reading it 
will, I trust, be instructed and helped the more bravely to 
fight the battles of life. 

The aim of the writer has been to present facts in a 
plain way, not to give occasion to the chronic croaker, but 
to cheer the voyager on life's rough sea. This book has 
been prepared from the standpoint of the "Rank and File" 
in the itinerancy, and as a stimulus to all laborers in the 
Master's vineyard. 

Heartfelt gratitude is hereby expressed to those who 
have aided in the preparation of this volume, either by fur- 
nishing facts and sketches, or otherwise — especially to Peter 
Winnie, Esq., secretary of the Colorado Conference Histor- 
ical Society, who has cheerfully given access to all its ar- 
chives ; also to my brother, the present well-known secre- 
tary of the Colorado Conference, Rev. H. L. Beardsley, for 
permission to examine every document in the Conference 
trunk ; to Rev. W. F. Steele, D. D., professor in the Iliff 
School of Theology, for consultations, freely given, and for 
sundry suggestions while reading the manuscript. 

It is my intention that, as soon as the sale of this book 
shall have met the cost of production and publication, both 




5 



6 



PREFATORY. 



book and profits shall then become the property of the 
" Preachers' Aid Society," for the support of the superannu- 
ated members of the Colorado Conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, their widows and orphans. 

Craving the Divine blessing upon this volume and its 
readers, now and through the years to come, I will close 
with the words of a writer of old : 

" If I have done well, and is fitting the story, 

It is that which I desired ; 
But if slenderly and meanly, 

It is that which I could attain unto." 

I. H. B. 

Denver, Colorado, 1897. 



INTRODUCTION. 



HB volume its author now gives to the public has 



been in preparation for nearly all the years of his 
ripe life. What a sensible thing it is to keep a carefully- 
written diary! Besides training one to habits of methodical 
perseverance, such a journal becomes a thesaurus of valu- 
able facts, a priceless prompter to memory, and an unfail- 
ing solace in loneliness, sorrow, or age. Its manifold use- 
fulness appears when it becomes the anatomy of a biography, 
whose literary flesh and blood are added in the rounded 
fullness of a noble career. 

Few men have seen more phases of life in more varied 
fields than has its author. Perhaps none has entered 
into more intelligent sympathy with all that he has seen. 
This fact gives a quaint relish to his pages. He sets out to 
tell a simple tale simply. Therein lies the charm of his 
book, and its helpfulness as well. He puts his reader in 
the social environments of a half-century ago, as he de- 
scribes the characters, customs, and scenes of his childhood. 
You are there. You touch them. You see them. They 
fill you. They ensphere you. Then you rub open your 




7 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

eyes to the dawning Twentieth Century, and set the con- 
trasts, and mark the advancements, and learn the lessons. 

His fifteen years of fruitful labor in Ohio links his earlier 
ministry in New York with his later in Colorado; thus giv- 
ing the whole broad land an interest in his volume. 

Nothing widens a man's life more than the experience 
of war; and no w T ar of the century compares with our Civil 
War. In this the author bore an honorable part, as a 
preacher of good tidings, in the name of the Iyord. The 
incidents of grace abounding, in bivouac and hospital, on 
the march and on the battle-field, will touch the heart and 
stimulate the faith of the Christian reader. Those entering 
their country's service — especially as chaplains or wearers 
of the Red Cross — could do no better than to ponder these 
well-told and thrilling experiences. And many an old sol- 
dier will light anew the altar-fire of patriotism, as he goes 
from chapter to chapter that brings up the storied past. 

Our brother tells of his travels, abroad and at home, 
with that same naivete that makes his other narrations so 
attractive. From his own peculiar angles of vision he gives 
us original impressions and descriptions that one so fre- 
quently misses in more pretentious works. An intrusive 
vein of humor, as charming as Mark Twain's, pushes up 
among the strata of his observations. It is Beardsleyan 
throughout; and therefore nothing if not genial, and t>rac- 
tical, and helpful. 

But the historical value of the work is most evident in 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

the concluding chapters, which are devoted to the introduc- 
tion and growth of Methodism in Colorado. Upon this the 
author has expended much research, and has produced alto- 
gether the most comprehensive and complete history of his 
chosen subject yet published. Doubtless some would have 
given more prominence to this and less to that personage or 
event ; it may be that some deserving character or achieve- 
ment has been overlooked ; but, all in all, the consensus of 
opinion will doubtless award Mr. Beardsley great credit and 
praise for having wrought with such impartial fidelity a work 
that will be indispensable to all future historians of Col- 
orado or American Methodism. 

Ten years of Colorado fellowship gave the writer an 
interest in the author and his devoted wife, which these 
" Echoes from Peak and Plain" start into newer and 
quicker vibrations of sympathy and love. The work not 
only gracefully rounds out the authors life, but also guar- 
antees the indefinite perpetuation of its benign influences. 

DAVID HASTINGS MOORE. 

Editorial Office of 
Western Christian Advocate, 
June, 1898. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 



Introduction, 7 

PART I. — ECHOES FROM LIFE IN THE ITINERANCY. 

Chapter I. — Early Life, 19 

Birth — Parentage — School-days. 

Chapter II. — Spiritual Life, 31 

Conversion — Entire Sanctification. 

Chapter III. — Ministerial Life, 49 

Divine Call — Way Opened. 

Chapter IV.— Itinerancy Begun, 58 

North Amherst and Huron — Bryan Circuit. 

Chapter V. — Itinerancy Continued, 69 

Waterville — Plymouth Circuit — Sullivan — Orange — Dover — 
Lake Shore — Dalton — Nashville — Newcomerstown — Bolivar — 
Canal Dover. 

PART II.— ECHOES FROM LIFE IN THE ARMY. 

Chapter I. — Off to the Army, 117 

"United States Christian Commission — Work in Louisville, Ky. 
— New Albany, Ind. — Run the Gauntlet — Nashville, Tenn. 

Chapter II. — Battle in Front of Nashville, 126 

What a United States Christian Commission Man saw and did 
on the Field of Carnage for three days. 

Chapter III. — On to Murfreesborough, 139 

W.J. Breed, Esq. — Guerrillas — "Contraband" Camp — Hospitals 
— Hostages. 

11 



12 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Chapter IV.— The Chaplaincy, 145 

188th O. V. I.— Stone River— Tullahoma— Chattanooga— Look- 
out Mountain — Lightning — Nashville — Intermittent Fever and 
Jaundice — Mustered out — Homeward Boimd — Discharged. 



PART III. — ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 

The Plains — Ocean — Scotland — England — France — Rhine Valley — 
Switzerland — Alps — Italy — Egypt — Suez — Joppa — Solomon's 
Pools — Hebron — Bethlehem — Mar Saba — Dead Sea — Jordan — 
Jericho — Bethany — Mount of Olives — Jerusalem — Bethel— Ja- 
cob's Well — Nablous — Shiloh — Samaria — Jenin — Jezreel — Foun- 
tain — Shunem — Nazareth — Tiberias — Capernaum — Flowers 
— The Drink Habit — Merom — Dan — Banias — Mount Hermon — 
Damascus — Baalbec — Beyrout — Bishop Kingsley's Grave — Cy- 
prus — Patmos — Constantinople — Athens, Greece — Smyrna — Tri- 
este, Austria — Tyrol Alps — Saltzberg — Restaurant — Danube — 
Vienna — Prague — Dresden — Berlin — Frankfort — Worms — May- 
ence — Cologne — Rotterdam — London — Spurgeon — Bedford — 
Homeward Journey, 153 



PART rV— ECHOES FROM COLORADO METHODISM. 

Chapter I. — Colorado, ' . 217 

Gold found — Excitement of 1858-9 — " Pike's Peak or Bust." 

Chapter II. — Methodist Beginnings, . 224 

Reconnoitering. 

Chapter III. — Foundation Builders, 240 

"Pike's Peak Mission" from i860 to 1863. 

Chapter IV. — Picket-line Extended, 254 

South Park — Blue River — California Gulch — Colorado City — 
San Luis Valley. 

Chapter V. — The Conference Organized 271 

A Proposition of Bishop Ames — From 1863 to 1869. 

Chapter VI. — How the Writer Came to go to Colorado, .... 284 
Incidents of the Journey — Ascend the Mountains. 



CONTENTS. 



13 



PAGE. 

Chapter VII. — The Colorado Conference as He Found it in 



June, 1869, 290 

Sketches of those Present. 

Chapter VIII. — Georgetown, 301 

First Appointment — Official Board — Queer Happenings. 

Chapter IX. — Journey to Conference at Pueblo in 1870, . . . 312 
The Exciting Trip described — New Members. 

Chapter X. — PeEasurabee Saunterings, 333 

Second Camp-meeting — Ministerial Association — Hot Sulphur 
Springs — A Forsaken Cabin — An Unwilling Camp. 

Chapter XL— The Conferences of 187 1-2, 345 

Bishop Foster — A Resume. 

Chapter XII. — Methodism in Denver, 356 

Begun by a Carpenter — The First Society — Sunday-school — 
Views of Churches — Flood — Aggressive Work — A Happy Wed- 
ding — City Missions. 

Chapter XIII. — Educational Methodism, 387 

The Incipient Step — Building erected — Embarrassments — The 
Struggle — The Uplift — Light dawns — Friends — Endowment — 
University Park and Hall— Iliff School of Theology— The 
Great Telescope. 

Chapter XIV. — Second Decade of the Conference History, . 410 
1873 to 1883 — Sketches of the Laborers and Work done — New 
Fields. 

Chapter XV.— Personal History, 466 

Nevada — Erie and Platteville — Black Hawk — Del Norte — Trin- 
idad — Wheat Ridge and Argo — St. James, Denver. 

Chapter XVI. — Third Decade of the Conference History, . . 481 
1883 to 1893 — A Wonderful Period of Church-building — Growth 
in all Departments of Church-work — Epworth League intro- 
duced. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Chapter XVII. — Personal History, Concluded, 558 

St. James, Platteville and Fort Lupton — A Marvelous Revival — 
Arvada, Church begun — Loveland — A Trip to the British Isles 
— Released from Duty — Lecturing Tour and Revival work. 

Chapter XVIII. — A Brief Epitome of the Conference from 1892 

to the Close of 1896, 566 

Four Valuable Summaries — Concluding Note. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



NO 
I. 
2. 

3- 
4- 
5- 
6. 



9- 
io. 
ii. 

12. 

13- 
14. 

15- 
16. 

17- 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 

2 3- 
24. 

25- 
26. 
27. 
28. 
29. 
3°- 
3i- 
32. 
33- 



PAGE. 

The Author — Frontispiece. 
New York Conference Sem- 
inary, 40 

German Lasher, 41 

The Old Home, 53 

John R. Colgan, 67 

An Italian Funeral Proces- 
sion, 171 

View of the Bathing-place of 

the Jordan, 192 

Jerusalem from Olivet, . . . 196 
Olivet from Jerusalem, . . . 198 
The Spanish Peaks, .... 223 

Jacob Adriance, 225 

Henry Reitze, 227 

Central City Church, .... 229 

A '59er Mansion, 234 

Conference Group of 1865, . 277 
George Richardson, .... 281 

John L. Dyer, 292 

B. T. Vincent, 295 

Geo. H. Adams, , 298 

R. J. Van Valkenberg, . . . 300 
The Railroad Loop, . . . .311 

Palmer Lake, 316 

Glen Park, 318 

Garden of the Gods, . . . .319 

F. C. Millington, 325 

Thomas Harwood, 326 

Mrs/E. J. Harwood, .... 327 

E. C. Brooks, 330 

H. J. Shaffner, 331 

Glenwood Springs, 343 

J. H. Merritt, 346 

Gray's Peak, 347 

B. F. Crary, 351 



NO. PAGE. 

34. C. A. Brooks, 353 

35. Where Methodism was Born 

in Denver, 357 

36. Birthplace of the Colorado 

Conference, 359 

37. Lawrence Street Methodist 

Episcopal Church, .... 361 

38. Trinity Methodist Episcopal 

Church (small cut), .... 363 

39. John Evans, 365 

40. Peter Winne, 367 

41. Christ Methodist Episcopal 

Church, 370 

42. St. James Methodist Epis- 

copal Church, 371 

43. Asbury Methodist Episcopal 

Church, 377 

44. Bishop H. W. Warren, . . . 384 

45. Colorado Seminary, .... 393 

46. University of Denver, . . . 398 

47. Mrs. Elizabeth Iliff Warren, 399 

48. William S. Iliff, 401 

49. University Hall, 402 

50. Girls' Cottage, 404 

51. The Iliff School of Theology, 406 

52. Chamberlin Observatory, . . 407 

53. Telescope, at Chamberlin 

Observatory, 408 

54. L. J. Hall, 412 

55. C. W. Blodgett, 414 

56. W. L. Slutz, 415 

57. J. F. Coffman, 419 

58. O. L. Fisher, 421 

59. R. H. Rhodes, 422 

60. H. L. Beardsley, 424 

61. H. C. King, 427 

15 



i6 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 



NO. PAGE. 

62. John Collins, 429 

63. T. A. Uzzell, 434 

64. J. F. White, 436 

65. E. Cranston, 440 

66. Conference Group of 1879, . 443 

67. T. C. Iliff, 445 

68. S. W. Thornton, 447 

69. D. H. Moore, 449 

70. C. S. Uzzell, 451 

71. N. A. Chamberlain, 458 

72. C. H. Koyl, 460 

73. J. F. Harris, 462 

74. J. A. Long, 463 

75. C. W. Brewer, 483 

76. A. C. Peck, 485 

77. Mrs. F. E. Peck, 486 

78. Interior of Haymarket Mis- 

sion, 487 

79. E. J. Wilcox, 490 

80. Longmont Church and Par- 

sonage, 491 

81. Conference Group of 1885, . 493 

82. J. A. Ferguson, 495 

83. W. C. Madison, 498 

84. H. A. Buchtel, 500 

85. D. L. Rader, 503 

86. H. D. Seckner, 505 

87. J. W. Linn, 506 

88. O. J. Moore, 508 

89. G. W. Ray, 512 

90. A. L. Chase, 513 

91. Kent White, 515 

92. J. R. Wood, 516 



NO. PAGE. 

93. C. B. Allen, ........ 517 

94. B. F. Todd, 522 

95. J. W. Flesher, 524 

96. I. F. McKay, 526 

97. J. L. Vallow, 529 

98. R. A. Chase, ........ 530 

99. J. C. Veeder, 532 

100. W. F. McDowell, 535 

101. R. M. Barns, 536 

102. A. A. Johnson, 538 

103. A. B. Glockner, 545 

104. H. E. Warner, 546 

105. R. A. Carnine, 548 

106. Trinity Methodist Episcopal 

Church, Denver (large cut), 550 

107. Robert Mclntyre, .... 553 

108. J. R. Shannon, 554 

109. Wm. John, 556 

110. Loveland Methodist Epis- 

copal Church and Parson- 
age, 565 

in. Claudius B. Spencer, .... 567 

112. W. F. Steele, 568 

113. W. I. Taylor, 569 

114. J. T. Pender, 570 

115. R. Sanderson, 573 

116. J. C. Gullette, 575 

117. M. F. Sapp, 576 

118. C. M. Cobern, 580 

119. W. F. Conner, 581 

120. A. H. Briggs, 582 

121. J. F. Smith, 583 



122. Grace Church, Denver, . . . 584 



N. B.— Over two-thirds of the cuts in this book were made by The Williamson- 
Hafifner Engraving Co., Denver, Colorado. 



PART I. 

Echoes from Home and Itinerant Life. 

17 



Saved Through and Through. 



Born of the Spirit! O wondrous new birth! 
Born of the Spirit! O hear, all ye earth! 
Saved evermore, I am saved through and through, 
Saved by the blood of the Faithful and True. 

Out of my vileness and hatred within, 
Out of my nakedness, out of my sin, 
Into a kingdom of life and of love, 
Sweetly my soul has been born from above. 

Life everlasting my soul has received, 

Life in Christ Jesus on whom I believed; 

Born of the Spirit, created anew, 

Glory to Jesus, I f m saved through and through ! 

Come, precious soul, and be born from above I 
Jesus is waiting to fill thee with love; 
Come unto him and be saved through and through, 
Saved by the blood shed for me and for you. 

—Melville W. Miller. 

18 



I. 



EARLY LIFE. 

Birth. — In a lovely valley where two roads meet, forming 
an acute angle, stands a story-and-a-half frame house, wherein 
was born, October I, 1831, a child so frail of body that he 
"was not considered worth dressing until six weeks old." That 
fragile form was laid on the hearth by the fire, wrapped in 
flannels, the nurse expecting to find him dead each time the cover 
was lifted. To her utter surprise he kept breathing, and after a 
time began to grow. His mother often wept over the puny form 
of this her first-born, fearing that he would never reach a vigor- 
ous manhood. No one then thought he would develop into a 
man of near two hundred pounds, and live to cross the "dead- 
line" of sixty; but such is the fact. That birth occurred in North 
Harpersfield, Delaware County, New York, before the days of 
cook-stoves or of lucifer matches in that locality. Large fire- 
places were then used, in which wood was liberally burned. At 
night the coals were covered with ashes to preserve them. Did 
the fire ever go out? If so, a flint was struck; that failing, a fire- 
brand was secured from a neighbor, with which to ignite the 
tinder. To sit in front of one of those wide-open fireplaces on 
a frosty night, and watch the frisky flame ascend the capacious 
chimney, was a cheerful sight. 

What a contrast between life then and now! Potatoes were 
baked in the hot ashes on the hearth, and were invariably good. 
Brick, or stone, or Dutch and tin ovens were in vogue for other 
baking purposes. The latter was an open reflector set before the 
fire, in which biscuit were usually baked. The women spun and 
wove the cloth used, out of material grown on the farm, whether 
of linen or of flannel. From the wool they carded and spun 
the yarn for knitting the socks and mittens needed in the family. 
Out of the flax they also spun thread for sewing purposes. 
Ofttimes a "hank of flax" was exchanged with a neighbor. The 
effort then was to see which could make the smoothest and 
nicest thread therefrom. Their carpetless floors were swept with 

19 



20 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



splint brooms, made by hand from a small hickory-tree. It was 
considered extravagant to drink "store coffee," except on Sun- 
day mornings. "Parched-corn coffee" was drunk on other days 
of the week. Soap was made from hardwood ashes, leached, and 
scraps of grease, combined in proper proportions. "Store sugar" 
was seldom used; maple being cheaper, and much preferred. The 
prevailing light of the family was their own "dipped or molded 
candles." The custom was for each family, when attending re- 
ligious services at night, to carry a candle for illuminating pur- 
poses. This practice ceased largely in 1861, when kerosene was 
introduced. 

This charming locality, with its modest hills, wooded slopes, 
maple-groves, apple-orchards, broad meadows, cultivated nooks, 
crystal springs, rippling rills, neat, farmhouses, stone walls, and 
well-kept roads, form a landscape that a painter might well covet. 

The stream that flows down that beautiful valley is known 
as the Middle Brook, probably so called for a family by that name 
living in Connecticut, whence most of the original settlers came. 
It is one of the many rivulets formed by bubbling springs among 
the northwestern spurs of the Catskill Mountains, the water flow- 
ing westward, uniting with other little streams farther down, to 
form the southern branch of the Susquehanna River. 

The farmhouses are more numerous now than then, many 
of the early structures having given place to those of more 
modern pretensions. The stone fences remain. The flowing 
fountains and numerous streamlets are still there. 

The red schoolhouse, where the youngsters were flogged 
into the paths of knowledge, and where the people gathered lor 
religious instruction, is now gone, and a white one takes its 
place on another site. Two neat churches adorn a slight emi- 
nence, where the people gather once a Sabbath to hear that 
gospel proclaimed, which "is the power of God unto salvation, 
to every one that believeth" (Romans i, 16), and where the chil- 
dren meet every "First-day Sabbath" afternoon for Bible study. 

The people are mostly dairy farmers. Their butter is su- 
perior, and cheese excellent. Very little grain is grown. Their 
market is New York City, or some small town nearer home. 

The hills of that charming locality never echoed to the 



EARLY LIFE. 21 

whistle of the locomotive. The hum of our modern enterprises 
have scarcely disturbed its quiet slumbers. A railroad now 
passes six miles north, and one three miles south of it. As it 
was in the beginning of this narrative, so it is mostly now, thus 
it will likely remain to the end of time. 

Here, amid these rural scenes, far from the contaminating 
associations of town and of city life, was this unpromising boy 
raised, and received his early education. This book is largely the 
story of his somewhat eventful life, as well as that of many others. 

Parentage. — His ancestors were of the old Puritan stock. 
Captain Travice sailed from London, England, in the ship 
Planter, April 2, 1635, for New England. With him came Will- 
iam B , from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, aged thirty years, 

and his wife Mary, aged twenty-six years, with their three chil- 
dren. It is not known when they landed. They resided in Had- 
ley, Massachusetts, until 1639, when he, with others, bought a 
piece of land of the Indians on Long Island Sound, which was 
known at the time as "Cupheag." 

Four years later the place was called "Stratford," so named 
by him for Shakespeare's birthplace, near which he and some 
of his progenitors had at one time resided. The grandparents 
on the paternal side were the descendants of Samuel, the first 
American-born son of the above-mentioned emigrants, and mi- 
grated on horseback, over Indian trails, through wooded wilds, 
from New Fairfield, Connecticut, in the spring of 1806, settling 
on a piece of land one mile east of Harpersfield Center, Delaware 
County, New York. Here they erected a house, cleared off the 
beech-woods, and in due time opened up a farm. In religion, 
one was a Presbyterian, and the other a Quaker. 

On the maternal side, his grandfather was a member of the 
Friends Society, of the Orthodox School. Their ancestral his- 
tory is as follows: Robert Titus (husbandman), of St. Kath- 
erine's, England, aged thirty-five years, and his wife Hannah, 
aged thirty-one years, with their two children, sailed from Lon- 
don, England, in the ship Hopewell, William Burdick master, 
April 3, 1635; which was the next day after his paternal ancestor 
had left. 



22 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



This family first located near Boston, Massachusetts, but 
soon moved to Weymouth, then to Rehoboth, where four more 
children were born to them. About 1654, the entire family, ex- 
cept the eldest son John, moved to Long Island, and took up 
land in Huntington, Suffolk County. Four years previous to 
this, Edmond, their second son, had settled at Westbury, Long 
Island, where he had acquired a large tract of land and erected 
a house, and where many of his descendants still reside. He and 
his wife were also Quakers. Most of his lineage hold to that 
faith. 

Jacob Titus, the author's maternal grandfather, descended 
from this branch of the family, and in an early day emigrated 
from near Poughkeepsie, on the Hudson River, to a place about 
three miles north of Harpersfield Center, Delaware County, New 
York, and improved a farm there. 

His parents were not distinctively religious, until he was 
eight years of age, when they were converted in a Methodist pro- 
tracted-meeting, held in the old red schoolhouse. His father 
felt at once that it was his duty to preach the gospel, but con- 
scious of his unfitness, shrank from it, and fell back into a nomi- 
nal Christian life, never making a public profession of religion. 
He was through all his life an earnest defender of the orthodox 
faith against the wiliest of foes. Previous to his death, which 
was at the early age of forty-three, he acknowledged his error 
to Henry Shears, now a resident of Altoona, Knox County, 
Illinois, concluding with, "I have shed barrels of tears over the 
matter of preaching the gospel." 

God never makes any mistakes. Why should mortals hesi- 
tate as to the lines of moral obligation? 

The mother's conversion was an event worthy a more ex- 
tended notice. The protracted meeting, above alluded to, was in 
progress, the first one ever held in that immediate vicinity. One 
night she and Phebe {nee Wickham) Treadwell, a lifelong friend, 
went forward to the "mourners' bench," and prayed most ear- 
nestly for salvation. They were the only seekers on that occasion. 
About ten o'clock they gave up all, and accepted Christ as their 
only Savior by faith. Immediately the evidence of their sins 
forgiven was received, and the ''love of God was shed abroad 



EARLY LIFE. 



23 



in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, which was given unto them." 
They arose, and sat down on the seat beside which they had 
kneeled, and began to sing. Hymn after hymn was sung without 
cessation until two o'clock the next morning. "A solemn awe 
that dares not move" rested upon the congregation, none leaving 
their seats until the singing ceased. Some were in tears, others 
were praising God very softly, while many sat, wondering at what 
they saw and heard, in perfect silence. During all that time all 
eyes were fixed on the two singers, and all ears were open to 
those sweet melodies, so full of pathos and of power. Many years 
after, witnesses of this joyous scene said to the writer, "Her face 
shone as that of an angel." While she lived, the great burden 
of her heart was that her boys might become useful ministers of 
the gospel. She never lived to see those prayers answxred, yet 
two of her sons have spent unitedly about seventy years in the 
active work of the ministry of Christ in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Seven years after her remarkable conversion she stood at 
the crossing. There was light in the valley. Many of her rela- 
tives and friends were present. The last afternoon had come. 
The last farewell had been said. A mother's hand had rested on 
the head of each of her boys, while giving a mother's counsel 
and blessing. The younger was but an infant. All were in tears, 
when in a scarce audible voice she whispered, "Father, can we 
sing?" The old Quaker, wearing a shadbelly coat and broad- 
brimmed hat, according to their custom, sat there weeping, and 
replied, "Ann, thee can sing if thee wishes to." Elder Hays 
asked, "What shall we sing?" She answered, "Jesus, my all to 
heaven is gone." He led, others joining; and when they reached 
the chorus, — 

" For it's all glory, glory, hallelujah! 
I am going where pleasures never die," — 

her voice was clearer and louder than any of the rest, and so 
remained to the end of that long hymn. At the very last she 
joined with Aunt Jedida T in singing those precious lines: 



" I 'm going home to die no more, 
I 'm going home to die no more." 



2 4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



These words she repeated several times in a very feeble voice, 
Then the pulse ceased to beat, breathing stopped, the spirit had 
taken its flight to the land of the living, and her four boys were 
motherless! 

Previously she had requested that Elder Hays preach her 
funeral sermon from 2 Timothy iv, 6-8, which was accordingly 
done, and her body was laid away to await the resurrection 
morning, only a few steps from where Christ first spoke peace 
to her soul. 

Ofttimes since, the writer has been reminded of the follow- 
ing lines: 

"Hundreds of stars in the lovely sky, 
Hundreds of birds that go singing by, 
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover, 
But only one mother the wide world over." 

School. — His school-days began at the age of four years, and 
continued, summer and winter, until about fourteen. After that 
he only attended during the winter, as his services were needed 
on the farm in the summer. 

The methods of teaching in the district school of that day 
were such, that books seemed very stupid things (doubtless the 
fault of the pupil in part). They had not the charm of the ball 
and the bat, or of the swim in the creek, or coasting on the snow 
and ice. 

Webster's was the first spelling-book, in which, with others, 
was the picture of a boy in the apple-tree, helping himself with- 
out leave, and the owner standing underneath with a tuft of 
grass in his hand, requests his descent. The boy laughs at him! 
Throwing down the grass, said he, "I '11 try what virtue there 
is in stones." Then the young culprit begged for mercy. The 
illustration taught a valuable moral lesson. 

Only two Readers were then used in the school — the His- 
tory of the United States for the smaller scholars, and the New 
Testament for the larger ones. "Peter Parley's" was the first 
geography. "Dayball's Arithmetic," which was on the plan of 
"pounds, shillings, and pence," was placed in the hands of all 
beginners, and to his young mind was "as clear as mud." 



EARLY LIFE. 



25 



"Kirkham's" was the only grammar, and Milton's ■ "Paradise 
Lost" was the book out of which all parsing had to be done. 

"Blackboards" were not introduced until the summer of 
1848. The desks ran continuously on three sides of the room, 
with long, backless seats along the same. Some of these were 
of slabs, flat side up, with two round legs near each end. The 
scholars usually sat facing the wall. It was considered very 
fortunate to sit in front of a window. Yet none were allowed 
to look out, or to gaze about the room. Their eyes must be on 
their books constantly. Writing-pens were made of goose-quills. 
Long, low benches, without backs, were placed on three sides 
of the stove, which stood in the center of the room. 

These were used for class recitations, and for the seating of 
the smaller scholars. A splint-bottom chair adorned the rear of 
the teacher's desk. Occasionally a naughty boy would fasten a 
pin therein during the teacher's temporary absence, to see him 
jump when seated! 

Parents patronizing the school had to furnish their quota of 
wood, which the children of that family chopped, ready to burn. 
Usually large trees were snaked to the schoolhouse on the 
snow, and these had to be prepared for the stove out of school 
hours. 

The teachers were paid so much a scholar per month for their 
services. The rich did not then pa}^ to help educate the children 
of the poor. 

Women teachers were always employed in summer, and men 
in winter. An idea prevailed that females could not manage the 
big boys, who only attended during the winter terms. "Board- 
ing around," from family to family, was the custom, and the 
coming of the teacher was an event of no small moment to those 
concerned. For days previous the children were drilled in eti- 
quette. 

This reminds me that there was also the itinerant shoemaker, 
who came once or twice a year to repair and make up the foot- 
gear of the household. He was a gentleman in whom the young- 
sters took a deep interest. 

At the schoolhouse the girls had a cloak-room, where their 
wraps and dinners were kept. The boys were not so fortunate, 



26 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



unless one had a sister in the school ; theirs was the entry way, 
where their caps, comforters, or wraps, if they had any, and 
dinners were left. Not unfrequently the latter were among the 
missing when noon came, having been stolen and eaten by some 
hungry canine that had taken advantage of an open door. The 
schoolboys of those days wore neither overshoes nor overcoats, 
for the reason that they had none to wear. In that respect, these 
"times" are better than those. 

Spelling was considered the prime factor of an education. 
The class were required to stand in line, with their toes to a crack 
in the floor. The teacher's right, when facing the class, was the 
head, and his left the foot. The words were pronounced by the 
teacher, when the spelling began at the head of the class, and 
was continued down to the foot. Whenever a word was mis- 
spelled, it was passed down to each successive speller until cor- 
rectly spelled, when that one went above all who had missed it. 
When the lesson closed, whoever was head received a "credit 
mark," and then went to the foot the next time the class was 
called, which was usually twice a day, just before school closed 
at noon, and for the night. The writer was nearly always at, 
or very near, the foot when the lesson was finished. Often, after 
missing a word, the teacher would strike the scholar on the 
knuckles, head, or arm with the ferule. This did not enhance 
respect for that teacher, or encourage a bashful student. 

A fortunate event happened to him in this way. A womanly- 
grown girl was nearly always at the head of the class, and this 
dull scholar near the foot, twisting his fingers through each other 
to keep up his courage. One day a word was missed by the head. 
"Next!" said the teacher. On and on down the line it came to 
•the diffident one, who, with head aloft, correctly spelled it, for 
he knew from the very start how it should be spelled. "Go up 
head," said the pedagogue. This did not have to be repeated 
the second time. Up he marched for the first time in his life. 
That was the proudest moment he ever saw. That event became 
an inspiration to him; though missing the next word, yet ever 
after he was oftener at the head than the foot. 

"Spelling-schools" were common. At these, "spelling down" 
was practiced. Two of the best spellers would choose sides, se- 



EARLY LIFE. 



27 



lecting their assistants alternately from those present until all 
were chosen who would spell. All standing, the teacher usually 
pronounced the words, selecting the most difficult ones in the 
language. Whoever misspelled a word sat down, and spelled no 
more during that test. Soon there would be only one or two 
standing on a side. Then the contest became intensely interest- 
ing. The last one standing was the victor — his side had beaten. 
Sometimes one school challenged another to meet it on a cer- 
tain evening in a contest of spelling ability. These were great 
occasions, and called out a crowd. 

In school, each lesson had to be mastered, or the scholar must 
take the consequences, according to the whim or likes and dis- 
likes of the teacher. Corporal punishment was the custom, with 
scarcely an exception. 

The ferule was frequently brought in contact with the palm 
of the hand so forcibly as to remind the subject of a fiery fur- 
nace; or on some other part of the body until stars appeared 
in the mental horizon. Beech "gads" were favorites with most 
teachers, and were kept on nails over the door. It sometimes 
happened that these would be exhausted during one session of 
the school. Then a boy was sent to the woods near by for a fresh 
supply. Not unfrequently when trimming the whip, a slight in- 
cision was accidentally made, but in such a way that it was 
scarcely observable. When it came in contact with some one's 
corporality, it was sure to snap asunder about the second or third 
blow. Certainly the boy knew nothing of the erasure (?) made 
in the wood; not he! Often these whips were thrust into the hot 
stove, and wormed about to toughen them. 

Occasionally boys were punished by seating them on the 
"dunce-block," with a girl's hood on, or a girl with a boy's cap 
on. Another method was to require a boy to stand on the floor 
near the teacher's desk, and hold out a stick of wood at arm's 
length until the teacher said, "Drop it." This was an exceed- 
ingly tiresome thing to do for any length of time. If it was 
allowed to drop, then came a severer chastisement. 

Sometimes two boys, each taking the opposite end of a stick 
in his mouth, were made to remove their coats and drop down 
on all fours like a couple of dogs, and be driven around the 



28 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



stove at a lively pace, while the teacher laid on the birch-rod 
with a thwack, thwack! 

Horace Nichols was never a bad boy, but somehow he had 

incurred the displeasure of J M , the teacher whose 

methods of torture I have above described. One morning Hor- 
ace came to school, having a dried sheepskin, with the wool 
still on, buttoned under his vest and coat. A few of the scholars 
were let into the secret on their way to school. That under- 
investment made it very warm for him in the schoolroom! He 
managed to provoke the teacher. Immediately he was ordered 
to stand at the south end of the teacher's desk, and hold out an 
unusually heavy stick of wood at arm's length. Horace pur- 
posely let it fall. 

The ire of Mr. M was aroused, and then the performance 

began. Off came Horace's coat as usual. One of the largest 
gads was taken from its roost. Soon that was used up on his 
back; but he never flinched. This enraged "Jo," and taking 
down another, with both hands he applied it with all his 
strength. His breath was getting short, perspiration flowed 
freely; but Horace stood there unmoved, as stubborn as a mule. 
The whole school was in titters, having learned the secret of 
Horace's stoical indifference. The third whip was brought into 
requisition, and used up as were the others. The teacher then 
seated himself with his face in his hands, utterly exhausted. 

Horace deliberately walked out, never to return while M 

taught. Such was school-life fifty years ago. 

Near half a century of toil and care had gone by, when one 
bright summer day Horace and the writer met on the old home- 
stead. The above-described incident was spoken of, and heartily 
laughed over. 

Thus were the writer's winters spent, either in the district 
or the "select" school, until his eighteenth year. He had mastered 
all the branches taught, had read all the books of the neighbors, 
and still sighed for more knowledge. "Why should he not have 
a higher education?" was the theme discussed in the home and 
by his acquaintances. His custom was, when tending the old 
sawmill, to keep some useful book — historical or scientific — 
close at hand, so as to read a page at odd moments, while the 



EARLY LIFE. 



29 



upright saw was passing slowly through the log. Sometimes 
he, would forget, and read on just a few lines more after the saw 
had stopped. 

In the early spring the maple-trees were tapped, the sap 
gathered in pails suspended from a neck-yoke, or in barrels 
placed on a sled and drawn with a team. Then it was boiled 
down into sugar. Caldron kettles were then in use. These were 
hung on a pole, between forked posts set in the ground. Great 
logs were snaked up on either side as back-logs. Smaller wood 
was placed underneath and around the kettle, which was filled 
with the sap, fire lighted, then sugar-making began. A smaller 
kettle came into use when it reached the syrup state. 

"Sugaring-off" was always enjoyed by young and old, es- 
pecially when it took place in the "sap-bush." 

Some time during the year of 1849, God put it into the hearts 
of the good people of Charlotteville and vicinity, in Schoharie 
County, New York, to erect a large school-building, which was 
known as "The New York Conference Seminary." This was 
three miles from father's newly-acquired home, the old one at 
North Harpersfield having previously been sold. 

The seminary was opened the first week in September, 1850, 
with Rev. Alonzo Flack, A. M., as president, assisted by several 
other teachers. The first morning found 165 scholars present, 
and among them this writer. All were gathered in the chapel, 
devotional exercises were concluded, when the president wished 
to know what they expected to study. By vote all chose geog- 
raphy, grammar, arithmetic, reading, writing and spelling. Pro- 
fessor Flack and his assistants laughed heartily at this, saying, 
"You could study th^se at home just as well. What have you 
come here for?" It was no laughing matter to the students; for 
they knew no better. Those studies were all they knew any- 
thing about. The professors then spent three days in arranging 
the classes. The subject of this sketch found himself with Latin, 
higher arithmetic, grammar and Wayland's Moral Philosophy, 
for his studies. Three years of close application, boarding at 
home, and walking three miles morning and evening, often with 
an open book before him, found him eager for "Union College 
at Schenectady." Just then death came to our home, and took 



30 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

from it the loved father. The way to the college was now closed. 
New plans must be formed if further educational privileges are 
had. A few months after, a vacancy having occurred on the 
Windham Circuit, the writer consented to fill out the nine 
vacant months, when he expected to return to school and com- 
plete his education. Once in the work of the ministry, he found 
it difficult to let go. Contrary to his original plan, it lasted 
forty years. The four years' Conference course afforded valuable 
privileges in securing a theological education, and was mastered 
within the prescribed time. Then came years of careful research 
and extensive travel at home and abroad, with the sole view of 
increased knowledge and greater usefulness; finally, graduation 
in the Chautauqua course of study in the class of 1891. 



II. 



SPIRITUAL LIKK. 

Conversion. — Very early in life the writer thought much on 
the subject of religion, and the Holy Spirit strove gently and con- 
stantly to bring about a definite experience. The chief instrument 
was the teaching and example of a godly mother. It was her cus- 
tom to open the large Family Bible, laying it on her lap, and then, 
with her little ones about her, she would read the story of cre- 
ation, or of Joseph, Daniel, the fiery furnace, the mocking chil- 
dren devoured by the bears, the story of Jesus and his sufferings, 
or other facts and incidents in the Bible interesting to children. 
These lessons were made practical, and were used to illustrate 
the needs of every-day life, and applied to their young hearts as 
a mother's devotion to their interests for time and eternity would 
prompt. O that every child had such a mother! Their inquiries 
were always intelligently answered. She was very anxious that 
the "Golden Rule" should be the "Golden Text" of their lives. 
That mother's instructions and triumphant death are to-day the 
most precious of the memories of youth. 

He was quite a lad before he had been to any other than 
"The Friends Meeting," which was held on every first and fourth 
day of the week, at ten o'clock A. M. 

The only Sabbath-school he ever attended before reaching 
man's estate was one started by Rev. Heman Bangs in the old 
red schoolhouse. That Sunday-school had neither lesson-leaf, 
journal, paper, or "help" of any kind. The small children who 
could not read were taught the letters of the alphabet. The 
larger scholars were required to commit seven verses of the 
Gospel according to St. John, beginning with the first verse of 
the first chapter for a lesson. These were recited in turn by each 
scholar to the teacher, who made no comments, and that ended 
the lesson. This youth committed and recited fourteen verses 
of the chapter, and then suddenly became too large to attend 
Sunday-school any more. 

3 31 



32 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Sabbath was usually a dull day when there was no 
Church, and was spent in roaming through the fields hunting 
for something to turn up. Every two weeks the itinerant min- 
isters of the Methodist Episcopal Church preached in the school- 
house. These were occasions not to be neglected. Sometimes 
a two-days' meeting was held in a large barn, when the presiding 
elder and others would preach. 

The quarterly love-feast was held on Sabbath morning at 
nine o'clock, with closed doors, after the services began. Only 
those holding "quarterly tickets," or such as were vouched for 
by a well-known member, were admitted. Here is a sample of 
one of the tickets: 



Member. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 
founded a. d. 1 784. 
quarterly ticket, 18 

Minister. 

" Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as 
silver and gold ; but with the precious blood of Christ, 
as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot." — 
1 Peter i, 18, 19. 

I can not rest till in thy blood 

I full redemption have ; 
For thou, through whom I came to God, 

Canst to the utmost save. 



These services made lasting impressions, for good, on the 
entire community, and were the theme of conversation for days 
after, and in some instances for years. 

One Sabbath morning, Rev. Arad S. Lakin, the pastor, 
preached from John x, 14. Every seat was occupied. The writer, 
then a small boy, only eight years old, sat at the end of a low 
bench, near the speaker, looking him squarely in the face, won- 
dering how it was possible that such words and thoughts could 
be conceived and spoken by a man. That one discourse made 
impressions on his mind which have never been erased. 

The results of this wayside sowing can never be computed 
this side of the judgment-day. Shame on those clergymen who 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



33 



feel it beneath their dignity to preach the gospel in the out-of- 
the-way places, and point the common people to the Son of God, 
who "taketh away the sin of the world!" What would have be- 
come of that people, but for those faithful, self-sacrificing min- 
isters of God, who were true to their orders, which said, "Go ; and, 
as ye go, preach?" (Matthew x, 6, 7.) 

In some way this boy formed the idea that religion was a very 
unenjoyable thing, and that he never wanted to become a Chris- 
tian, for he would have to pray so much. After his conversion 
he found the reverse of this to be true. At manhood's early 
dawn the allurements of the world seemed to say, "Give loose 
reins to your appetites and passions. In them ye shall find 
pleasure. Enjoy yourself. Have a good time while young. 
Religion is well enough for old people, women, and idiots; but 
it is not adapted to you. Later on in life you can attend to that 
matter if you deem it best." 

In answer to the above insinuations, a small voice seemed to 
whisper, ever so gently, and the better judgment coincided, 
"Take care! Make no mistake in these things. 'All is not gold 
that glitters.' 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for what- 
soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' " 

The mental conflict raged, while the inward conviction deep- 
ened as the years advanced. Nearly every phase of unbelief was 
canvassed, weighed in the balances of human reason, and found 
wanting, because it did not meet the demands nor satisfy the 
longings of the soul. Nothing earthly can fill the vacuum within, 
which God has left for himself. 

Rev. Orin P. Matthews, like John, "the beloved disciple," 
was "a son of thunder." Rev. J. P. Wells, his colleague, like 
Moses, was one of "the meekest of men." These devoted servants 
of God, so unlike, held a protracted-meeting, which lasted a 
month, in the schoolhouse. Three young ladies only were con- 
verted. The ungodly and hypocrites cried, "Failure! Failure!" 
How these people denounced "Matthews" for proclaiming the 
truth so earnestly, and at times with apparent severity. That 
effort was no failure. The bread cast upon the waters produced 
an abundant harvest in after years. The next Sabbath after the 
meeting closed, some thoughtless boys strolled into the school- 



34 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



house to hear what the newly-converted would say. A prayer 
and class meeting was being held. Scarcely were they seated, 
when the eldest of the young converts arose, and in a firm and 
clear voice, said, "I have taken more solid comfort in the last 
three days than in all of my life before." What a revelation that 
single sentence was to the writer! That was the first time the 
idea ever crossed his mind that religion produced happiness, and 
was not an irksome duty. 

A few years later, Rev. Noble Lovette was appointed junior 
preacher on the circuit, and his sermons, exhortations and 
prayers had a wonderful effect on the writer, and were among the 
means of leading him to Christ. 

January 25, 185 1, President Flack addressed the students in 
the seminary chapel on the importance of Bible study, closing 
his remarks with the following request: "All of you who will 
promise to read one chapter a day in the New Testament until 
you have read it through, please raise your right hand." This 
writer's went up with many others, and down as quickly, for fear 
it would be seen. "Conscience makes cowards of us all!" He 
indeed wanted to be a Christian, but did not wish it to be 
known. At that time he supposed that Christian people were a 
set of cowards, and were afraid to die, or they would not pro- 
fess religion. His idea then was that the only brave ones were 
on the other side. What a mistaken notion! The truth is di- 
rectly the reverse. It takes real manly courage to be an out- 
and-out Christian. Sinners are cowards, because their deeds are 
evil; "they prefer darkness to light." 

In reading the New Testament, the way of life was learned 
more perfectly. The views of infidels and of the so-called liberal 
Christians, were as familiar to him as the multiplication-table. 
But the recollection of that mother's life and triumphant death 
gave the lie to all such nonsense. 

One Sabbath afternoon he called at Lewis Multer's. Dinner 
was just over, and he was invited to partake. As he sat down 
at the table, Lewis said, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow 
ye die." It was impossible to eat. "What if that should be true? 
I shall be lost forever." That one remark was "a nail in a sure 
place," and never was removed until at the foot of the cross. 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



35 



Early in that summer a camp-meeting was announced to be 
held in the grove near the "Morse Church," Jefferson Town- 
ship, Schoharie County, New York. This resolve was quickly 
made, "I will go to that meeting, and if there is such a thing as 
religion, I am going to have it." 

All through haying and harvesting he worked hard, early and 
late, so as to finish before the camp-meeting began. That was 
before the days of mowers, reapers, and self-binders. The hay 
had to be cut with a scythe, and grain with a cradle. The steel 
horserake, on wheels, had not yet been invented. A revolving 
wooden rake and a coil-wire rake had been in use for three or 
four years. Either of these had to be lifted by the hands when 
the driver came to the windrow. They were a great improve- 
ment over the "handrake" of the fathers; but not equal to those 
now used. 

Saturday noon the last load was in the barn, and the meeting 
was to begin on the following Monday afternoon. Dinner over, 
preferring not to ask for money needed for necessary expenses 
at the camp-meeting, he walked down to Samuel Martin's, and 
upon meeting that tall, venerable form in the front yard, gave 
the usual salutations, when he hesitatingly inquired, "Do you 
want help for a few days to finish your haying?" The reply was, 
"Yes, come with your scythe on Monday morning." As he 
walked homeward, this thought was revolving through his mind, 
"If you go to God with the same confidence, your sins will be 
forgiven, and you will get religion." This was quite encourag- 
ing to him at the time. That afternoon his scythe was put in 
order. Sunrise on Monday morning found him in Squire Mar- 
tin's field, one mile from home, ready for a full day's work. Two 
days and a half, at one dollar per day, were put in mowing by 
hand, spreading, raking, and pitching hay, from sunup until after 
sundown. 

Wednesday noon the "Squire's" hay was all under cover, and 
help paid off. The "Squire" always enjoyed a good joke. Here 
is one, which occurred not long before. A couple came on a hot 
summer evening to be married. The family had retired, the 
"Squire" with the rest. A rap was heard at the door, the 
"Squire" bade them "Come in." The room was dark. They 



36 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



stated what they wished. He ordered them to stand at the foot 
of the bed, and rising on his knees, he made them husband and 
wife. The groom, after the ceremony was over, wished to know 
"if his wife might spin some flax to settle the bill." "Certainly," 
said the Squire; "but shut the door as you go out." 

Thursday morning early the writer set out on foot for the 
camp-grounds, six miles distant. He could have had a horse, 
but preferred not to be incumbered, as he intended to remain 
until the matter was settled between God and his soul. He at- 
tended all the services of that day, but failed to take a public 
stand for God. 

In the early twilight of Friday morning, August 22, 1851, 
while out in the woods conversing with German Lasher, in whose 
tent he had spent the night greatly troubled in mind, he decided 
to go to the altar that morning after the sermon, and seek salva- 
tion. On his way for breakfast, a short distance from the 
grounds, he stated to a young acquaintance what he had deter- 
mined to do, and urged his accompaniment. The young man's 
reply was: "I once enjoyed religion, and wish I did now. I am 
not quite ready to retrace my steps; I intend to soon; am glad 
you are going to make a start. Never give it up. I will be with 
you shortly." Alas for human calculations! Only a few weeks 
after he was smitten with fever, became delirious, and died. It 
is never wise to defer until to-morrow what should be done to- 
day; for the present moment may be the last opportunity we shall 
ever have. God only knows. It is now or never. To defer, is 
to fight against God. Submit to his will just as you are, and be 
saved from all sin. 

Rev. Jason Wells preached that morning, at ten o'clock, on 
Abraham's offering up Isaac in obedience to the Divine com- 
mand; all of which this penman heard, and yet did not hear; 
for his mind was debating the question of immediate action one 
way or the other. Something kept saying to his inner self: "De- 
fer it. You are young yet. There is plenty of time. Why be in 
a hurry? You can attend to that later on in life, or when you 
come to die. Will you deny yourself all the pleasures of the 
world? You can not hold out, and if you should turn back you 
will disgrace the cause; therefore you had better remain as you 



PIRITUAL LIFE. 



37 



are. The facts are that you have no feeling. The Spirit has left 
you. There is no hope for you. Give it all up, and do not be so 
silly. What will your relatives and acquaintances think? Cer- 
tainly you are not going to that altar to be prayed for alone. 
Go out into the audience, and get your cousin David to go with 
you." They were of the same age. David at that time was 
thoughtless and indifferent. On the following New-Year's eve 
he was soundly converted, and has spent thirty odd years preach- 
ing the gospel in the "Southland," a very popular and useful 
minister of Jesus Christ. 

To all of the enemy's suggestions this answer was given: 
"Feeling or no feeling, friends or no friends, I am going to that 
altar as soon as the invitation is given, and I will never leave it 
until I get religion." The moment the minister said, "Come, ye 
sinners to the gospel feast," he deliberately, without a particle 
of feeling, walked down the main aisle, looking neither to the 
right nor left, to that crude altar, and kneeled at a slab bench on 
the beech-roots. Only once before had he ever kneeled. His 
heart seemed as hard as a stone. Knotty roots were not a soft 
cushion to kneel upon. At first they hurt badly; but he soon 
forgot them in his struggle for salvation. For a short time his 
mind wandered. He kept saying to himself, "What will the 
people think? What will father say? How will those of my 
relatives, who are so opposed to the Methodist people, act toward 
me hereafter?" They prayed and sang several times, during 
which he was wondering why he was not blessed, when some one 
shouted from the stand, "Mourners" (this was the first he knew 
that there was any other seeker than himself), "repeat these words 
over and over again, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner! Lord, 
I give myself away, 't is all that I can do.' " He began repeating 
them to himself, for fear of being heard; first in a whisper, then 
aloud. As soon as his own voice was heard pleading for mercy, 
the fountain of the great deep of his heart was broken up, and 
the tears of true penitence flowed freely. He then had all the 
feeling desired. In a moment he seemed to be on a lonely island, 
with no earthly inhabitant, and Jesus was there, suspended on the 
cross, dying for him alone, as if he was the only person in the uni- 
verse. He believed it with all his heart. He had always believed 



33 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



it with the head; but now it was with the heart trusting for sal- 
vation, then and there, through the death and sufferings of Jesus 
Christ alone. At once he ceased to try to save himself, but ac- 
cepted Christ as his own personal Savior. The work was in- 
stantly and consciously done. The heavy load of guilt, which 
had so long rested on his conscience, was rolled off. His heart 
became light and buoyant, a sweet peace dwelt within, of which 
he had never been conscious before, and these familiar words 
came trooping through his mind: 

" How happy every child of grace 
Who knows 

['Thinks,' suggested the enemy ; 'do not be too sure ; perhaps you are mistaken !'] 

his sins forgiven! 
'This earth,' he cries, ' is not my place, 
I seek my place in heaven — 
A country far from mortal sight ; 

Yet O, by faith I see 
The land of rest, the saints' delight, 

The heaven prepared for me.' " — Hymnal, 1030. 

After repeating them over several times, he arose and sat on 
the seat beside which he had kneeled. German Lasher, who was 
standing at the foot of the aisle looking out for him, entered 
and remained kneeling at his side until "there was a great calm," 
when he whispered, "Do you feel better?" "Yes," was the reply. 
"Thank God for that," said he; "and he will give you more." 
What an abiding comfort those words have been during all these 
intervening years! "Thank God for that; and he will give you 
more." They have turned many a blessing into a double bene- 
diction. 

Had his inquiry been, "Are you converted?" the answer would 
have been, "I am not," for he supposed that religion was very 
different from that blissful state into which he had just entered. 

He afterward learned that his father was on the grounds that 

forenoon, and that he was spoken to by one S S , who 

was a member of the Christian (?) Church, and urged, to use his 
own words, "Go, and take your son out of that pen, where those 
Methodists are making a 'powwow' over him." To which 
father replied: "Religion is a good thing. I wish all my children 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



39 



enjoyed it. There is one kind that is good for nothing, and that 

is yours." Mr. S had no more to say. 

When that morning meeting closed, having obtained that 
which he came for, he started for home, repeating to himself, as 
he walked lightly along: 

" How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 
In a believer's ear! 
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 
And drives away his fear. 

It makes the wounded spirit whole, 

And calms the troubled breast; 
'Tis manna to the hungry soul, 

And to the weary, rest." — Hymnal, 316. 

The next morning he started out to tell his young associates 
of this newly-found peace, thinking they would yield at once, and 
be saved. His success was not equal to his expectations. - The 
next Sabbath he testified, for the first time in public, to his experi- 
ence, and all he could say was, "I love Jesus, and I think he has 
forgiven my sins." Then down he sat, weeping that he could 
say no more, and because of gratitude to the blessed Redeemer, 
who had been so very merciful to such an unworthy sinner. 

The enemy assailed him constantly; sometimes endeavored 
to make him believe that no one ever had had such a bright ex- 
perience, or that he had never been converted; for if he had, he 
would feel very differently, and would not be tempted. "You 
had better give up. You do not find what you expected. Re- 
ligion to you is a failure. You can not hold out over two years 
at most. You had better give it up at once, and not disgrace the 
cause. Some other time you can make another start, should you 
feel like it." 

How sorely his soul was tried over these insinuations! Dark- 
ness dwelt within. What could he do but look to God for help, 
as he was not quite ready to give up and surrender to the enemy? 
Light came into his mind and heart when these words occurred 
to him : 

" Prone to wander, Iyord, I feel it, 
Prone to leave the God I love ; 
Here 's my heart, O take and seal it; 

Seal it for thy courts above." — Hymnal, 726. 



4° 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The tempter fled, never to assail him on those lines again, 
proving the truth of those words of James, the apostle, "Resist 
the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he 
will draw nigh to you" (iv, 7, 8). 

Pertinent Jottings. — At Charlotteville, the LaMont family 
were quite numerous, and very prominent in every good work. 
Once on a quarterly-meeting occasion, when his house was full of 
guests as usual, some one inquired of Thomas LaMont: "Why 
is it that you are prospered so financially? You are always so 




NEW YORK CONFERENCE SEMINARY, 1854. 



hospitable and liberal withal. Some of us have wondered that 
you were not eaten out of house and home." The answer the 
writer has never forgotten. Said he, "I do not know why it is, 
but as I pour out with a teaspoon, God pours in with a scoop- 
shovel." 

"There is that scattereth, and it increaseth yet more; and there 
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to want. 
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be 
watered also himself." (Proverbs xi, 24, 25.) 

A son of the above, Thomas LaMont, Jr., has been a success- 
ful minister of the New York Conference for more than thirty 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



41 



years. An uncle of his was also a member thereof for many 
years. A daughter of Dr. LaMont, Kate E., became the es- 
teemed wife of John F. Hurst, afterward bishop in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. The superior wife of John P. Newman, now 
bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a student at the 
seminary also. 

April 6, 1853, a Miss Besson, one of the students, died. Just 
before her spirit took its flight, with her finger pointed upward, 
she said: "I see that heavenly country and the angels. I shall 
soon be there. Blessed Jesus! O, how good the Lord is to 
me!" 

Milton S. Terry, of Evanston, 111., was at one time a student 
there, and many others scattered here and there over the United 
States. 

On the morning of May 31, 1854, the writer drove up in 
front of the seminary buildings at Charlotteville, and hitched 
his horse. On turning around he saw smoke issuing from the 
roof of the northeast wing. The students were then in chapel. 
The alarm was quickly given. In two hours time nothing was 
left of those large buildings but the smoking ruins. Eight hun- 
dred students were turned out of doors. 

The seminary was rebuilt on another site; but it stood only 
a few years, when it also was burned. It is believed that these 
buildings were set on fire by some one envious of the success 
of the institution. 

German Lasher, like his Master, was a carpenter by trade, 
and resided at that time in Charlotteville. He was a devout, 
earnest, consistent, every day, Christian, and was converted at the 
age of thirty, and maintained his Christian integrity for over fifty- 
five years. 

He entered into the experience of holiness very soon after his 
conversion. In all the varied changes of life he has been a faith- 
ful and useful member of the Church. 

His photograph, which appears on the next page, was taken 
the day he was eighty years of age. For many years he has re- 
sided at Oak Park, near Chicago, where he has been a prominent 
factor in Church work, being a charter member of the Methodist 



4 2 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Episcopal Church there, which was organized nearly a quarter 
of a century ago. 

During much of his religious life Father Lasher has been a 
class-leader and exhorter, or local preacher. At the Desplaines 
Camp-meeting he has been the leader from its commencement of 
the six o'clock morning meetings for the promotion of holiness. 

He was born in 1809; born 
again, 1839; sanctified 
wholly, throughout spirit, 
soul, and body, in April, 
1 84 1, which experience he 
maintained in all its rich- 
ness and fullness at the age 
of eighty-six. He was 
transferred to the upper 
world, August 31, 1895. To 
this man of God many are 
indebted for rich experi- 
ences in Divine things. 
Among them is the writer. 
His life was "as ointment 
poured forth," for "he 
walked with God" con- 
stantly. 

Entire Sanctifica- 
tton. — Very soon after his 
conversion, the author be- 
came conscious of something wrong within, though he had 
not for a moment lost "the witness of the Spirit." What 
could this mean? There had been no known neglect of duty, 
public or private ; yet evil propensities arose : such as anger, 
pride, malice, evil speaking, etc. Besides all this, he found his 
religious emotions vacillating ; when in meeting he would be ex- 
ceedingly happy, but much of it would be gone before reaching 
home. This was the source of no little anxiety; for the enemy 
whispered: "If you were truly converted, you would not feel these 
risings of evil, nor these 'ups and downs' in your religious experi- 




GERMAN RASHER. 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



43 



ence; therefore you are deceiving yourself in supposing that you 
are a Christian." 

Rev. William Hall, then a fellow student and local preacher, 
and who afterwards was, for nearly thirty years, a faithful min- 
ister of the gospel in the New York Conference, going home to 
glory finally, shouting the praises of God, was, at this period, of 
great help to him. When with this beloved brother, walking arm 
in arm on the public highway just west of town, and conversing 
on Divine things, Hall said, "Live close to the blood of Jesus!" 
The inquiry was: "What do you mean by this?" Hall replied, 
"When I lie down to sleep, I fold my hands commending my all 
to God, feeling if I die before morning I shall be with Jesus. 
Do you feel thus?" Without waiting for an answer, he dwelt at 
some length upon the blessedness of that state into which his soul 
had entered by Divine grace. There was something in the man- 
ner of the speaker, and in the expression of his countenance, 
which carried conviction to his listener's mind, and assured him 
that there was a blessed verity in what had been spoken. As 
they continued their walk, this penman said to himself: "I want 
all there is for me. If there is such an experience as that, I am 
going to have it." From that moment his soul became athirst 
for all the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
Thus far he had lived up to all the light he had received. Now 
that a new ray had dawned, he cried day and night, "Create in 
me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." 
(Psalm li, 10.) The more earnestly he sought, the farther away 
he appeared to get. This seemed passing strange, since he had 
made a full surrender to God; consecrating soul, body, spirit, 
all, to him for time and eternity. What was the matter? When 
he endeavored to believe that the promise was sure, that "the 
altar sanctifieth the gift" (Matthew xxiii, 19); for "Whatsoever 
toucheth the altar shall be holy" (Exodus xxix, 37), doubts would 
arise as to the entireness of the sacrifice. Then Satan would 
suggest: "You are too sinful to believe now. Wait until you 
are more holy. Do this or that first, before God will bless you. 
If God wants to save you completely, he will do it without your 
believing first." It seemed so difficult to believe a naked promise 
without some inward assurance. Sometimes the blessing seemed 



44 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



so near it was almost within his grasp, when the tempter would 
divert his mind to his unfitness to receive it. Thus the struggle 
was prolonged for three months, when it could have been settled 
in a moment of time. Language fails to describe the agony of 
his soul during that period. 

It was Saturday evening, February 8, 1852, when the vic- 
tory came. Wrestling with God in prayer, he was enabled to 
lay hold of the promise by faith, and claim the blessing. He 
was so wonderfully emptied of all opposing influences that he 
realized, "I do love God with all my heart." The contest was 
ended, and a complete victory had been won. God said, "Arise 
and confess it." Once more the enemy whispered: "Do not be 
too sure. You may be mistaken. What you have received may 
not be that for which you have been seeking. You have not the 
witness yet. Wait until you are certain before you testify." 
These suggestions seemed plausible, and not wishing to be over- 
confident, he allowed that quarterly-meeting prayer-meeting to 
close without testifying to what God had done for him. 

He left the meeting under a cloud. Two weeks after, being 
urged by the brother above referred to, he went to the chapel 
evening services, determined to make a public confession of the 
cleansing power of the Holy Spirit, applying the blood of Christ 
to the soul, removing the last stain of sin. "Standing by faith 
alone," without the direct "witness of the Spirit" to the work 
of full salvation, he arose tremblingly, being exceedingly diffi- 
dent, to say, "I do love Jesus with all my heart," when the enemy 
suggested: "Take care. Do not be too sure. You may be mis- 
taken. You had better say, 'I think I love Jesus with all my 
heart.' " Not wishing to be overconfident, the word "think" was 
inserted, and the testimony given to the glory of God, and the 
devil was foiled. 

This timid acknowledgment of Christ's power to save fully 
from all sin brought great satisfaction and comfort to his heart. 
Faith had triumphed. The full witness of the Spirit to this 
greater work came in upon him like a flood. What peace! what 
love! what joy! thrilled his whole being! So great was this in- 
dwelling Presence, that for days he could scarcely pursue his 
studies, or recite, without shouting the praises of God. The bap- 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



45 



tism of the Holy Spirit rested upon him. All evil propensities 
were taken away. ''Perfect love" reigned supreme. God was 
"all and in all." His peace was like a river. "The joy of the 
Lord was his strength." It became "a pillar of fire by night," 
and the indwelling "shekinah" by day. 

"Tongue can never express 
The sweet comfort and peace 
Of a soul in its earliest love." — Hymnal, 442. 

To believe then seemed the easiest thing in the world. He 
wondered that he had not done so before. He did not hesitate 
to embrace every suitable opportunity to tell what God had done 
for him. Blissful as was his state, he did not rest there; but 
pressed on after richer pastures and fuller fountains. His con- 
stant experience was : 

"Insatiate to this spring I fly; 
I drink, and yet am ever dry: 
Ah! who against thy charms is proof? 
Ah! who that loves, can love enough?" 

— Hymnal, 327. 

He saw before him an ocean of love, of which he had barely 
tasted, his barque having put out only a little from the shore. 

(The above, in substance, was published in the Guide to Holi- 
ness, April, 1854.) 

A few short extracts from his private journal, illustrating this 
experience, may not be out of place here : 

Under date of January 31, 1853, I find: "Alt day Jesus has been my 
joy and my song. I love him with all my heart. I hope to glorify him 
always with a perfect heart and a willing mind." 

"February 1st. — This morning I had a glorious time in secret prayer, 
and a delightful view of the doctrine of holiness. My soul was perfectly 
happy in the love of God. This day has been one of constant joy within." 

"March 1st. — A good time communing with God in secret. A few 
students met for prayer. My whole being was charged with Divine 
power. I was just as happy as I could be, and dwell in the body." 

"April 18th. — While engaged in family prayer this morning, my soul 
was filled with the Spirit, and running over." 

"May nth. — My heart has feasted all day on the love of God, which 
has filled me." 



4 6 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



"June 2d. — A flame of heavenly love burns upon my heart, and the 
Savior's blood purifies and keeps me clean." 

"June 15th. — In answer to fervent prayer the Lord gave a clearer 
evidence that I was wholly sanctified throughout soul, body, and spirit. 
(1 Thessalonians v, 23.) I felt the tingle in the very tips of my fingers, 
and through my whole being." 

Less than two years after stepping into the fountain of cleans- 
ing — "the Holy of Holies" — he entered the work of the min- 
istry, to which he realized clearly God had called him. For 
years one continuous sea of glory rolled over his soul, wave on 
wave, billow on billow. The cleansing stream was a living foun- 
tain to his soul. How inadequate is human language to describe 
the unspeakable peace and joy of those years! Sinners were 
convicted of sin and converted to God, and believers sanctified 
on every charge. He aimed at this in every prayer, exhortation, 
and sermon, and as well in all his conversations with young and 
old. He was absolutely a man of "one work," and that work was 
to save souls. Many of them have gone home to glory, while 
others remain firm and true to God to this day (1897), and are 
living witnesses to this "great salvation." Many of them are 
preaching the same gospel to others, which so wonderfully saved 
them. 

His "preaching was not with enticing words of man's wis- 
dom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Co- 
rinthians xi, 4), his aim being to feed the soul without starving 
the intellect, and to feed the intellect without starving the soul. 

He was never popular with cold-hearted Church members. 
Such never liked him until they got in touch with the Holy 
Spirit, when they became ardent supporters of holiness teaching. 

One day it was suggested that, "If he would not preach so 
definitely on the holiness line, but give the subject a more gen- 
eral treatment, he would evoke less opposition, and accomplish 
more for the Master." This seemed so plausible, wishing like 
David, "peace" (Psalm cxx, 7), and anxious to be as useful as 
possible, he complied, believing it to be for the glory of God and 
the salvation of men. Holiness was placed in the background, 
and other subjects brought to the front. What was the result? 
In a short time he found himself like Samson, "shorn of his 



SPIRITUAL LIFE. 



47 



strength." His ministry became comparatively barren. Few 
were converted, and none sanctified. He loved holiness still, 
and occasionally preached it; but the jingle was gone. Yet he 
clung to the Savior as his Redeemer and t Sanctifier, though he 
had not the evidence to the fact. He stood "by faith, and not 
by sight," not daring to doubt for one moment. Realizing he 
had been foiled by the devil, he longed for the return of Holy 
Ghost power. At times he would soar on the pinions of faith 
and prayer into the very heavens, and seemingly almost grasp 
the coveted prize, when the enemy would suggest, "If you yield 
now, your hopes will never be gratified." Thus the struggle 
went on for thirteen years before the point was given up ; then, in 
the early morning of July 17, 1886" he was enabled, by God's 
grace, to surrender fully, and claim the promise. 

In a moment the chain which had held him so long was 
severed. Complete victory came to his soul. He felt that he 
was a free man in Christ Jesus, and so declared to all present 
in that early Conference prayer-meeting. The light of the Holy 
Spirit shone through and through his inner being. How the 
very bells of heaven rang within for weeks and months! Such 
rapture he had never known before. Returning to his charge 
filled with the Spirit, he proclaimed a free and a full salvation 
from all sin, to all. What was the result? Nearly two hundred 
souls were brought to Christ on his circuit within the next few 
months. Then, as in other years, like Bishop Asbury, he "'felt 
called of God to preach Christian perfection in every sermon." 
From that day the prayer of the writer has been: 

"My dying Savior, and my God, 
Fountain for guilt and sin, 
Sprinkle me ever with thy blood, 
And cleanse and keep me clean." 

Bishop R. S. Foster, D. D., has said of holiness: "It breathes 
in prophecy, thunders in the law, murmurs in the narrative, 
whispers in the promises, supplicates in the prayers, sparkles 
in the poetry, resounds in the songs, speaks in the types, glows 
in the imagery, voices in the language, and burns in the spirit 
of its whole scheme, from its Alpha to its Omega, from its be- 
ginning to its end. Holiness! holiness needed! holiness required! 
4 



4 8 



'echoes from peak and plain. 



holiness offered! holiness attainable! holiness a present duty, a 
present privilege, a present enjoyment, — is the progress and 
completeness of its wondrous theme! It is the truth glowing all 
over, webbing all through revelation; the glorious truth which 
sparkles, and whispers, and sings, and shouts in all its history, 
and biography, and poetry, and prophecy, and precept, and prom- 
ise, and prayer; the great central truth of the system. The won- 
der is,- that all do not see it, that any rise up to question a truth 
so conspicuous, so glorious, so full of comfort." 

Glory be to God! ''The blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us 
from all sin" (i John i, 7), and "The peace of God, which passeth 
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through 
Christ Jesus." (Philippians iv, 7.) Amen! and Amen! 



III. 



MINISTERIAL LIFE. 

The Call. — For years the impression rested upon him, "If 
I am ever converted, I will have to preach." This conviction 
deepened as he neared manhood's estate, and was one of the 
arguments used by the Floly Spirit that this matter of sub- 
mission to God should not be deferred. Often he would dream 
of exhorting people to repent and be saved. The next week 
after his conversion he learned how fervently his sainted mother 
had prayed that her boys might become useful ministers of the 
gospel. An aged Christian gentleman said in a "covenant meet- 
ing" one Saturday afternon, "She would carry a whole audience 
up to the very throne of God when pleading on this subject." Yet 
it seems strange that seven months passed, after he was born of 
the Spirit, before those early convictions returned. But when they 
did return, there was no getting rid of them. The more he tried, 
the deeper they became. It was, "Woe is me if I preach not 
the gospel." He pleaded unfitness, mental and moral, for such 
a work. Who ever succeeded when fighting against God? He 
wept, fasted, and prayed over it for days, weeks, and months. 
His cry was, "Send by whom thou wilt, but not by me." "The 
word of the Lord was in him, like fire shut up in his bones." 
(Jeremiah xx, 9.) 

A few extracts from his diary of this period will show the 
character of his convictions: 

"February 3, 1853. — Some convictions of its being my duty to travel 
and proclaim a free and a full salvation." 

"February 4th. — I earnestly desire to be an instrument in the hands 
of God for the conversion of one soul. Yea; more, if it should please 
the Lord." 

"April 10th. — Rev. G. B. Crippin, a fellow student, and he were on 
their way to hold religious services, when he stopped in the road, and 
said: 'I am almost persuaded to give up all claims to the Atonement, 
and let sinners go to hell, and go there myself, rather than try to preach.' 
Crippin urged him on to fill their appointment, where they had a good 
time proclaiming the truth. 'Souls were blessed.' " 

49 



50 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



"April 20th. — While going to prayer-meeting my impressions of duty 
were so great that I could not refrain from weeping along the way. 
What shall I do? I am not fit for so responsible a work, yet God calls." 

"May 8th. — If all the world were mine, I would gladly give it to be 
freed from ministerial duty. The Lord blessed me much while exhorting 
the people." 

"June ioth. — The burden of souls is upon me. It becomes more and 
more intolerable, and almost crushes me to the earth." 

These show the struggle it cost him to enter the ministry of 
the Word. He very much preferred a mercantile life. God 
ordered it otherwise, and he reluctantly complied. 

Thk Way Opens. — His entrance upon what proved to be his 
life-work occurred in this way. I turn to the old diary, and read 
under date of June 25, 1853: "While engaged in prayer in my 
room at noonday, I was led to ask, 'If it be my duty to preach, 
let the way open to-day.' God was near to me, and I felt a won- 
derful closeness to him. With the above petition came the im- 
pression, 'Go to town, where a letter awaits you, telling you 
what you are to do.' The enemy whispered: 'It 's all a delusion. 
Do not fool yourself. You can never preach. What could you 
say? The people would not receive you. You would starve.' 
The above insinuations were repelled by this promise: 'If you 
enter the ministry, you shall never want for something to say, 
or for the necessaries of life.' " 

Thus assured, I hastened to the field for my horse; but 
when I found her, she had lost a shoe. This convinced me that it 
was of the Lord; for I had an appointment the next day, seven 
miles distant, and over a very stony road. 

At the post-office I found a letter from Rev. Seymour Van 
Deusen, presiding elder of the Prattsville District, New York 
Conference, in which he said: "Come on immediately to the 
Windham Circuit, to fill a vacancy caused by the removal of 
Brother William Hall to Catskill. Stop at Scienceville [now 
Ashland] with Brother William S. Bouton." 

Here was the direct answer to my prayer, as the Holy Spirit 
had indicated. That letter was read with indescribable feelings. 
At its conclusion, I said to Thomas LaMont, Jr.: "I can never 
preach. Why did he not send for some one else? If it was only 



MINISTERIAL LIFE. 



51 



some other place, then I would go; but I can not go there. It is 
useless; they will not receive me." 

He encouraged me to go. I again answered, "No; I can not." 
The letter was shown to Brother Lasher, who, after reading it, 
began praising the Lord, and exclaiming, "I told you the way 
would open, and you must go." I answered, "I can not," and 
returned home; but said nothing further on the subject. 

The conflict raging within was intense during most of the 
night. All I could think of was, "Windham Circuit!" Near 
morning a complete willingness to do God's will came over me, 
and with this decision, this blessed assurance, "Go and do your 
best; I will be with you." Then I said, "If Jesus is with me, all 
will be well." 

The next day, as I rode along to my appointment, I could 
but ask: "Why did not the elder send for some one else? Why 
should I be compelled to go? Why did not the Lord call an- 
other, instead of me?" 

To these inquiries something seemed to say, "Why do you 
ask such questions, since God has opened the way, and promised 
to be with you, and to supply all your needs?" 

One expression in the elder's letter was encouraging: "If 
God has called you into the ministry, he will open the way before 
you; and he will help you in the use of the means within your 
reach." 

Squire Martin was the executor of father's estate, and to him 
I went for a small favor, which was cheerfully granted. The 
"Squire" inquired, "What have you decided upon for your life's 
work?" Hesitatingly was the answer given. To this he replied: 
"I thought so. If you follow that calling, you will never secure 
the applause of the world, nor its honors, nor its wealth; but if 
you are faithful, it ends wclV How often have those three words 
cheered the heart cf the weary itinerant, when discouragements 
were on every hand! "It Ends wEli/' served as an inspiration 
under difficulties, when another effort would be made, and vic- 
tory secured. 

Once more let the old diary speak: 

"June 30, 1853. — This morning I set out from home on horseback, as 
an itinerant preacher, bidding all farewell. While ascending the hill east- 



52 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ward, I gave the old fields I had helped to cultivate a long, lingering 
look. In the vale beneath to my left stood the sawmill, where my tears 
had so often fallen and prayers ascended over the duty of preaching, on 
which I was now so reluctantly entering. A tear moistened my eye as 
I said, 'Must I leave all?' With a heavy heart, onward I slowly wended 
my way, weeping, pleading for Divine guidance and help. About sunset 
I reached my destination, with feelings I can not describe. That evening 
I attended a good prayer-meeting. Wished myself home. Almost de- 
cided to go, when these words came to me: 'No man, having put his 
hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.' (Luke 
ix, 62.) Here I am. I will make the best of it. The Lord is with me." 

Windham Circuit, New York Conference, at that time had 
ten appointments; namely, Windham Center, Eastkill, Henson- 
ville, Mitchell Hollow, North Settlement, Ashland, West Settle- 
ment, Red Falls, West Hollow, and Fuller School-house. 

They had preaching at Windham Center, Ashland (Science- 
ville, as it was sometimes called), and West Settlement once 
every Sabbath; and at the other places once in two weeks. This 
necessitated three sermons every Sabbath, and one on Saturday 
evening every two weeks. 

Rev. J. W. Smith was the preacher in charge. He was an 
earnest, conscientious, and very useful minister of the gospel. 
In a communication received from him by this penman thirty 
years after, among other things he wrote: "We had a good re- 
vival at old North Settlement, and also at Hensonville. God 
was with us. But how many of those congregations are gone! 
A goodly company, I trust, of those departed are with the Church 
that is without spot before the throne." Brother Smith has 
joined that throng. 

Quarterly-meeting being held on the first Sabbath at East- 
kill, my labors did not reallv begin until the second Sabbath of 

July- 

A few extracts from that old diary show the results of this 
young pastor's work : 

"July 10, 1853.— This morning at ten o'clock I preached my first ser- 
mon as an itinerant, at Ashland, from, 'Behold, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy.' (Luke ii, 10.) The Lord helped me. I have been happy 
all day. God is better to me than I deserve." 

"July 17th. — An awful weight of responsibility rests upon me. Who 
is sufficient for these things?" 



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54 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



"18th. — The Lord blessed me to-day in visiting from house to house, 
in talking and praying with the people about their soul's salvation." 

"August 12th. — My soul is on the stretch after God. Finished read- 
ing the 'Life of Bramwell' to-day. Heavenly fire burns on the altar of my 
heart. The Lord is so good, that I can not praise him enough. I want 
to sink into all the will of God, and have no will but his. Christ is 'all 
and in all' to me. I am nothing. To him be all the glory." 

"September 23d. — My soul dwells in love. I can not describe the 
peace I enjoy. I praise God with all my heart. I was made very happy 
last night while confessing what the Holy Spirit had done for me." 

During these three months he had held only an exhorter's 
license, which was dated June 27, 1853, and signed by (Rev.) 
D. Gibson. At the second quarterly^meeting he was critically 
examined, "on Doctrine and Discipline" by the presiding elder. 
The following is an exact copy of his first license to preach: 

"To All Whom It May Concern: This certifies that the bearer, Isaac H. 
Beardsley, is a regularly-authorized preacher in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Examined and approved at a Quarterly Conference for the 
Windham Circuit, held at North Settlement, September 28, 1853. 

"(Signed by) S. Van Deusen, P. E." 

The society at this place had been rent asunder by dissen- 
sions until there was only a handful left, and they were greatly 
disheartened. There was no indication of a revival; yet a pro- 
tracted-meeting was begun by the pastors, October n; 1853. 
The third night after the meeting began, three young ladies 
came to the altar, kneeled for prayers, and were converted. Once 
more I turn to that old diary for a few extracts : 

"October 4th. — Thank God, we walk by faith, and not by sight. I 
can not recall when the Lord was more precious. I have perfect peace." 

"October 16th. — To-day I preached four times. The three usual serv- 
ices and the funeral of an old lady, aged seventy-four years. This was 
the first funeral service I ever condr^ted. Text, Revelation xiv, 13." 

"October 25th. — Brother Smith preached. Several came forward for 
prayers, and among them was a young married couple, Enos Trayer and 
Sarah, his wife. They invited me home with them. After some conver- 
sation we knelt in prayer, which lasted for over an hour. His agony 
became so great that he threw himself on the floor, rolling over and 
over, crying for mercy. As soon as deliverance came he kneeled beside 
his wife, and began praying for her. In a few moments her doubts and 
fears fled, and she was made happy in the pardoning sense of God's 
love. A visiting brother of his. who had not been at the meeting, was 



MINISTERIAL LIFE. 



55 



also happily converted. All acted like little children, shouting and prais- 
ing God." 

"November 6th. — At West Settlement in the class-meeting, held at 
the close of the sermon, one entered into the experience of perfect love. 
How she shouted for joy! Our protracted-meeting closed this evening. 
About fifty conversions; among them were eight or nine entire families. 
To God be all the glory! I feel like dying for sinners. The Lord is very 
precious." 

I find also this entry: 

"A stormy night; not many out. A wicked man, who resided not far 
from the church, but had not been inside of it for ten years, came over 
to see what those detested Methodists were doing. Sermon over, the 
membership were urged to reconsecrate themselves to God, by coming 
to the altar and engaging in prayer. When the few present stood about 
the altar waiting for prayers to begin, that wicked onlooker said to him- 
self, 'There you have got the toughest flooring you will have to thrash 
out this winter.' Before that meeting closed he was struck under con- 
viction; hastened -home, but not to sleep. The next morning he went 
out to chop wood. After a few blows of the ax, he said his mind became 
so absorbed about his lost condition that he stood on that log for three 
hours, with his ax elevated ready for a stroke, but forgot to bring it 
down until his wife called him to dinner. For three days the struggle 
went on. He could neither eat, drink, sleep, or work. Finally he came 
to Church, yielded, and at that hated altar was blessedly saved. He went 
home, hunted up the long-neglected Bible, and started family worship 
that very night, when his wife was converted. She had not been near the 
meeting on account of her physical condition. A few days after, he sent 
this word to his sister in town by the young preacher: 'Tell her that her 
brother Dan is dead. He do n't live up here any more. Another Dan 
lives here now.' " 

Here is another item: 

"During the forepart of the meeting, a poor man, in feeble health, 
having quite a family, and living back in the field, died. One morning 
early, the nearest neighbor, living a quarter of a mile away, heard shout- 
ing at this poor man's dwelling. Over he went to learn what was up. 
Nearing the house, he heard the sobbing of the little ones about the door; 
but from within came songs of praise and hallelujahs. Upon entering, he 
saw, lying on a bed of straw, the emaciated form of the husband and 
father, and near him the wife and children in tears, while he was shouting 
and singing, — 

'Jesus can make a dying bed 

Feel soft as downy pillows are; 
While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there.' 

— Hymnal, 976. 



56 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



This gloriously triumphant death made a profound impression on that 
community. Each one said in his heart, 'Let me die the death of the 
righteous. Let my last end be like his.' " 

"December 4th. — The Lord baptized me with the Holy Ghost while 
engaged in prayer. The power of God rested upon me. I have that 
peace which passeth all understanding. My greatest desire is that I may 
not become spiritually proud." 

"December 7th. — We began a meeting at Hensonville, in a school- 
house. It was war to the hilt. Satan's seat seemed to be here. A goodly 
number were converted, and joined the Church. This meeting continued 
for over a month. One day Brother Smith called at a shoemaker's shop. 
The cobbler was very busy. The preacher abided his time, when he gently 
hinted the subject of religion, and invited him to the meeting. He 
gruffly responded, 'I am a Jew;' when Smith replied, 'Are you circum- 
cised?' This broke the shell, and a lengthy religious conversation fol- 
lowed. This man attended the meetings, and, I believe, was converted." 

"December 28th.— Rev. Orin P. Matthews, from the Jewett Circuit, 
preached. He was a large man, with a stentorian voice, and of remark- 
able pulpit power. Wishing to show the difference between a formal and 
a real religon, he used the following illustration: 'You go to the woods, 
fill your caldron kettle with sap, put foxfire under it, pile on the wood; 
you have no effect. Now put real fire under that kettle, lay on the wood, 
and what is the result? Soon the water begins to co-whallop, co-whal- 
lop.' Several souls were converted that night. That discourse was long 
remembered." 

"December 30th. — I preached in Hunter, on the Jewett Circuit. While 
engaged in prayer, before the sermon, God so filled me and those about 
me with the Holy Spirit that they shouted and laughed for joy, and I 
was compelled to cease praying and join with them. Formality was 
removed. What mighty power came upon the people! Several were 
saved." 

The year wound up May 10, 1854, very pleasantly to all con- 
cerned. The New York Conference met that year in Allen 
Street Church, New York City. Bishop Waugh presided. Bish- 
ops Scott, Ames, and Hedding were visitors. On the evening of 
the 1 8th inst. the appointments were read out. Rev. J. W. Smith 
was returned to the Windham Circuit, with Rev. A. M. Hough 

as junior preacher. Brother H afterward married the sister 

of Jay Gould. For years he has done efficient service on the 
Pacific Coast. His home is in Los Angeles, California. He and 
the writer were associates at the New York Conference Seminary 
for two years. 



MINISTERIAL LIFE. 



57 



A mile west of Windham Center lived a prominent family 
-by the name of Steele. Here was born the Rev. Daniel Steele, 
D. D., of the Boston University. His son, Wilbur Fletcher, is 
now Professor of Exegetical Theology in the Iliff School of 
Theology, in the University of Denver. 

Close to the Center, on the south, was the early home of Rev. 
William V. O. Brainard, whose itinerant career began in the 
spring of 1853, under the presiding elder. He joined the New 
York Conference in 1854. 

One stormy Saturday night, while driving slowly through 
deep snow to an appointment, these words came to the. mind of 
this young preacher with great force, as from the throne of God: 

" 'Preach for Souls.' Why? Because, — 
"1. Mankind are perishing. 

"2. Many are hungering and thirsting for the bread and water of life. 

"Life is uncertain; and what is done, must be done quickly. 'There 
is but a step between me and death.' 

"4. Eternity is an awful reality; 'For our God is a consuming fire.' 

"5. Jesus is waiting to be gracious. 'If any man thirst, let him come 
lUito me and drink.' 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' " 

Preach for Souls kept ringing in his soul. How? The 
answer came: "Go preach the preaching that I bid thee." (Jonah 
iii, 2.) "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every 
man in all wisdom: that we may present every man perfect in 
Christ Jesus." (Colossians i, 28.) "Preach the Word." (2 Tim- 
othy iv, 2.) 



IV. 



ITINERANT LIFE. 

Taking the advice of Horace Greeley, "Go West, young 
man," June 29, 1854, found this penman visiting relatives in 
Penfield, Lorain County, Ohio. Soon after his arrival, he was 
urged to allow his name to come before the Quarterly Meeting 
Conference for a recommendation to the Annual Conference. 
Believing he would not be received, he, at the last moment before 
it convened, consented. The Quarterly Conference renewed his 
license, and recommended him to the Annual Conference as a 
suitable person for the traveling connection. The renewal read: 

"The license of I. H. B , a local preacher in the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, is renewed by order of the Quarterly Meeting Conference 
of Wellington Circuit, Elyria District, North Ohio Conference, July 24, 
1854. (Signed,) Henry Whiteman, P. E." 

The Annual Conference met, August 23, 1854, in Tiffin, Ohio. 
He gave it no attention whatever, as he felt willing to abide the 
verdict of his ministerial brethren, only five of whom were per- 
sonally known to him. It was September 1st before he knew 
the result. On the 8th, the Western Christian Advocate came, 
and announced to him that he had been received, and appointed 
junior preacher on the "Amherstville and Huron Mission," Rev. 
F. W. Vertican preacher in charge, and W. B. Disbro presiding 
elder. 

That afternoon he started on horseback for his work, stop- 
ping en route over night with relatives. The next day, about 
five o'clock, he reached North Amherst, one hour before his 
colleague, whom he had never seen. This town was the head- 
quarters of the circuit, and was the place of the financial meeting 
on that day. They both found a hearty welcome at Brother 
Jackson's, who was one of the stewards. The next day was the 
Sabbath, when their year's work began. There were seven ap- 
pointments on the circuit; namely, North Amherst, Huron, 
Brownhelm, Wells's Corners, Vermillion, Lake Shore, and Joppa. 

58 



ITINERANT LIFE. 



59 



At the two first named there was preaching every Sabbath 
morning; at the others, once in two weeks. 

Every other Sabbath we had to preach three times. There 
were only four church buildings on the work, which were at 
North Amherst, Brownhelm, Huron, and Joppa. Their archi- 
tecture was not modern. The entire membership did not exceed 
one hundred and thirty, and were scattered along the lakeshore 
for several miles. They were "a feeble folk," with very little 
courage. Other denominations had the field well in hand, and 
had no use for Methodist preachers so long as they were true to 
Methodism. 

The law of the Church at that time read: "The annual allow- 
ance of the married traveling preachers shall be two hundred 
dollars and their traveling expenses. Each child under seven 
years of age, sixteen dollars; over seven and under fourteen, 
twenty-four dollars." 

The fourth Quarterly Conference was required "to appoint 
a committee to make an estimate of the amount necessary to 
furnish fuel and table expenses for the family." 

The junior preacher's salary was fixed by the law at $100, 
and his board by the committee at $55. On this he must pay 
his board, clothe himself, keep his horse, buy books, and help 
the needy on the entire charge. Of the above allowance, $103.14 
was received by the junior preacher. Preaching the gospel was 
not a paying business in those days; yet there were plenty of 
people who said, "Preachers preached for salaries alone!" 

Not one traveling preacher in the North Ohio Conference, 
which then included what is now the Central Ohio Conference, 
received for that year $600. The salary of Edward Thomson, 
President of the Ohio Wesleyan University, was only $1,200; 
and Adam Poe, who was Agent of the Western Methodist Book 
Concern, received $1,500. 

Once more I turn to that old diary, and read under date of 

"September 18, 1854. Monday. — My soul is deeply pained. O, my 
God, what will become of thy Church? Several of our members wear ear- 
rings. Some of them finger-rings, etc. Lord, pity them! Give me grace 
and wisdom!" 

"October 17th. — How my heart mourns over the condition of this 
charge. Membership few and far between. Hundreds of sinners rushing 



6o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



down to ruin. Religion is a matter of form, largely, in all the Churches. 
Holiness is never thought of by the great majority. 'There are a few- 
names in Sardis whose garments are undefiled.' When I see this state 
of things, like Jeremiah, I feel like exclaiming, 'O that my head were 
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and 
night for the slain of the daughter of my people!' God is the same 
everywhere, and we will hope for the best." 

"November 19th. — God gave us a wonderful blessing at Vermillion, 
in the class-meeting. Our hearts were touched by the Holy Spirit. 
Father Coppin, a local preacher, of precious memory, was filled with the 
love of God, with the rest. He attempted to smother it; but it would 
burst out, in his 'te-hee-ees;' and 'thank the Lord! Glory be to God! 
te-he-hee!' All joined in praising God 'with joy unspeakable and full of 
glory.' There were tears of joy. This was the first shout that this little 
band of Christians ever had in Vermillion. I see such riches of grace 
in Jesus. My peace flows as a river. I love God with all my heart. 
While the longing of my soul is to depart and be with Christ, yet I 
am perfectly willing to abide God's time, and do his will. I have proved 
that God is a very present help in every time of need. Never did that 
promise seem so sweet to me as now, 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' 
The greatest desire of my heart is to be a living epistle read and known 
of all men.' A true Bible Christian." 

"February 18, 1855. — While engaged in prayer at Brother Reming- 
ton's, the glory of the Lord filled us to overflowing. We wept, adored, 
and shouted the praises of God. Such precious baptisms of the Holy 
Spirit strengthen and encourage us in the upward way. I can not de- 
scribe my enjoyments of late — such heavenly peace, and yet such a sense 
of helplessness and dependence on God." 

"February 22d. — Delightful communion with God in secret prayer 
this morning. I could hardly cease praying. I have just finished Wat- 
son's 'Life of John Wesley.' Thank God that he ever lived!" 

"March 19th. — By the urgent request of the brethren,. I began a pro- 
tracted-meeting at Brownhelm to-day. I just learned that four weeks 
ago, when here, God had used the word spoken in the salvation of one 
soul. The following is her statement in the class-meeting: 'God drove 
the words to my heart that I was a barren fig-tree, bringing forth no 
fruit. I was alarmed, found no sleep that night, prayed until God par- 
doned my sins. I am now rejoicing in the love of Christ.' " 

"April 4th. — I closed the protracted-meeting (my first) last evening. 
Eight joined on probation. Several went to the Presbyterian Church. 
This was to all a very profitable meeting. God honored us with his 
presence at every service. To his name be all the glory!" 

"April 21 st. — I attended the funeral of Mrs. Murry. She had talked 
freely of her death, and urged all to meet her in heaven. Gave directions 
as to her infant, then said, 'I have no more to say.' Closing her eyes, 



ITINERANT LIFE. 



6r 



whispering, 'happy, happy;' and soon her soul took its flight to the realms 
of bliss." 

"May 15, 1855. — While praying with a seeker of salvation to-day, I 
felt that God was blessing. He did bless. I was not disappointed. To 
God be ail the praise! Amen." 

That young lady afterward became the faithful, devoted, and 
useful companion of him whom God had used in her immediate 
conversion. The writer, after a lapse of over forty years, grate- 
fully places the above event on record, to the glory of God, and 
states that, but for her continued entreaties and help, this volume 
would never have been written. They were married November 
27, 1856, in Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio, by Rev. M. L. 
Starr, a relative of the groom, and one of the oldest members 
of the North Ohio Conference. 

After May 20th, the entire work was placed in charge of the 
junior preacher, as the senior had been transferred to the Pitts- 
burg Conference, and entered upon work there. 

Again I quote from that old diary: 

"June 19, 1855. — Largely through reading the 'Life of John Wesley/ 
by Richard Watson, Sister Goodrich, the wife of one of our most effi- 
cient stewards, but a Presbyterian, has experienced the blessing of entire 
sanctification. Her soul is perfectly happy. Her testimony was, 'If this 
is enthusiasm, it is a happy one.' Soon after receiving this wonderful 
blessing, she left her Church and joined with her husband's. If ever I 
felt, 'Woe is me if I preach not the gospel,' it is now. 'I live, yet not I; 
Christ liveth in me.' The following words have been of great comfort to 
me of late: 

'Who are these arrayed in white, 

Brighter than the noonday sun; 
Foremost of the sons of light, 

Nearest the eternal throne? 
These are they that bore the cross, 

Nobly for the Master stood; 
Sufferers in his righteous cause, 

Followers of the dying God.' " 

— Hymnal, 1066. 

"August 25th. — The last Quarterly Conference was held to-day. They 
unanimously requested my return." 

"September 2d. — At our last service in Brownhelm, a sister in class- 
meeting, after the sermon, addressing the young preacher, said: 'I am 
glad you ever came here to preach, for it was through you that the Lord 



62 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



sent the truth to my poor sinful heart. I cried to him, and he heard me. 
Now I am happy in his love.' O my God, how thankful I am that thou 
canst use such a feeble worm in the salvation of souls! Keep me humble 
at Jesus' feet!" 

"September 16th. — My Conference year is closed, and I can but ask, 
Have I done all I could to win souls to Christ? Are my skirts clear? 
Upon the whole, this has been a profitable year to me and to many. 
What has been accomplished eternity alone will tell." 

"September 19th. — The Annual Conference met to-day in Sandusky 
City, Bishop E. R. Ames presiding." 

One day while the Conference was in session, there was a 
leakage in the gaspipe, when the bishop laconically remarked, 
"We usually have plenty of gas at Conference; but not of this 
kind." This was in many respects a notable Conference. On 
Sabbath morning, Rev. William Arthur, of England, being in 
attendance as a visitor, preached a most remarkable sermon, 
with tremendous power from on high. The entire audience was 
swept as by a hurricane, rising to its feet with outstretched 
hands, eyes and mouths wide open, eager to catch every word as 
uttered. When the climax was reached, each one dropped back 
into his seat, unconsciously to repeat the same thing later on. 
Shouts of glory and tears of joy were frequent during the de- 
livery of that wonderful discourse on "Grace: The Source, the 
Sufficiency." 

The justly-renowned Rev. Charles Elliott preached in the 
afternoon, and Rev. Mr. Collins, of Michigan, at night. Thus 
ended the writer's first, and a most memorable, Conference Sab- 
bath. 

Bryan Circuit. — Conference adjourned September 26, 1855, 
when this itinerant heard himself announced junior preacher 
on Bryan Circuit; with Henry Warner in charge, and David 
Gray presiding elder. 

October 10th, he bade the family with whom he had made 
his home for nearly a year, — Allen H. Atherton, Esq., of Ver- 
million, Erie County, — "farewell," and started with horse and 
buggy for his new field of labor. 

After crossing the Maumee River at Perrysburg, he found 
the road much of the way exceedingly rough. For miles through 
swamps and heavy timber it was corduroyed. The ends of some 



ITINERANT LIFE. 



63 



of the logs having decayed and broken off, a wheel would drop 
nearly to the axle, first on one side, then on the other. It was 
next to impossible to tell where these dip-places were, owing to 
the water and mud which nearly covered the logs. 

About three o'clock of the third day he reached the Church 
at Evansport, where the financial meeting was being held. The 
preacher in charge, being engaged at the moment of his entrance, 
did not notice him. Soon after he said to the brethren, speaking 

of his colleague: "I do not know why Brother B has not 

come; I suppose he is sick." Several brethren spoke at once, 
saying, "I guess he is here." Henry Warner, as brotherly a col- 
league as ever filled the pastorate, looking up, saw him and said, 
"Yes! yes!" and hastened to greet him, giving him a hearty wel- 
come, and an introduction to those present. 

Bryan was the county-seat of Williams, the northwest county 
of the State of Ohio, and was the headquarters of that large cir- 
cuit, having fourteen appointments. These were: Bryan, Shaf- 
fer's, Lafayette, Leatherwood, Lockport, Thicket, Colgan's, 
Stryker, Bear Creek, Evansport, Union, Brown's, Mud Creek, 
and Georgetown. At the first named, there was preaching, morn- 
ing and evening, every other Sabbath; and at the others once 
in two weeksj on Sunday or on a weekday. The pastors were 
compelled to preach three times every Sabbath, and several times 
during the week, often riding seven or more miles between ap- 
pointments. Hence, with their visiting, funerals, and extra calls, 
they were in the saddle nearly every day of the year. The 
preacher in charge resided in Bryan; while the junior preacher 
found an excellent home in the family of Rev. Everett W. Fuller, 
a local preacher of superior ability and a merchant, in the town 
of Stryker, seven miles east of Bryan, on the Air-line Railroad. 
In this Christian home he rested for three or four days only of 
each month, after making the rounds of that large circuit on 
horseback, which was the only possible method of traveling. 
The roads in some places were good; but in others were next to 
impassable. From Georgetown to Bryan the road was a mere 
trail, indicated by blazed trees through the dense forests, where 
the foliage was so thick that the sun seldom reached the soil. 
Ofttimes the saddlebags, in which were Bible, hymn-book, 
5 



6 4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Discipline, and a few other books, would thump against a tree 
on the right or left, as the horse slowly picked his way through 
the swamps and timbered lands. 

In those times the Maumee Valley, if so level a country could 
be called such, was considered the "breaking ground of young 
preachers." If they endured through one or two years, and 
came out unscathed, they would do. This whole country, for 
miles and miles, was nearly level, with a rich soil; but swampy 
and heavily wooded. The settlers had built log cabins for their 
homes, and cleared off little patches on which to grow corn and 
vegetables. Ofttimes cornmeal pancakes were their only food 
for days and months together. This was not very palatable to a 
dyspeptic. The people gave their pastors the very best they 
had; hence there was no reason to complain. 

Often some members of the family would shake with the 
ague nine months of the year; frequently the entire household 
would be shivering on the same day. Quinine was in great 
demand. 

A few extracts from the old diary will give an idea of the 
character of society: 

"October 31, 1855. — To-day while on a train, occupying the seat with 
a gentleman, the conversation turned to the subject of religion. This 
man presented the usual threadbare arguments of infidels generally. 
They were answered by rebutting statements, to which he was unable to 
reply. He became furious, drew a dirkknife, brandishing it in a threaten- 
ing manner within an inch of my breast, declaring that he was tempted 
to cut out the heart of any one who dared to defend Christianity. Dur- 
ing all this furor I felt perfectly safe, for God was with me. Before leav- 
ing at a way station this man begged my prayers, and promised to be- 
come a Christian." 

"November 21st. — I met a gentleman on train to-day, who said, 'My 
wife is a Christian. I am putting off till the last of life what should be 
attended to in the beginning.' After a lengthy conversation on the sub- 
ject, he promised not to defer longer." 

"November 30th. — My soul is full of gratitude, because I am so happy 
in God to-day. How precious Jesus is to me! I could hardly stop pray- 
ing in secret this morning, so sweet was my communion with him. This 
world would be a blank were it not for his smile." 

December 10th he preached in Georgetown, a small hamlet 
in the woods, consisting of a blacksmith's shop, a grocery store 



ITINERANT LIFE. 



65 



where the people got their mail, a schoolhouse, and a few dwell- 
ing-houses. That night he stopped with the family where the 
schoolteacher boarded, occupying the same room and bed. 
After retiring, the subject of religion came up, when the teacher 
affirmed that he was an infidel. Said he: "For ten years I was 
a Christian; three of that time a Methodist exhorter. I went 
to Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, where I was advised to read 
certain books. I complied, and became an unbeliever; have been 
such for the past six years. My parents are Methodists, and I 
would not have them know where I stand for the world. I am 
ashamed to be called an infidel. To say I do not believe in the 
Bible is uttering a big word, and is saying much. Sometimes I 
think I may be wrong. Not long ago, one Sabbath, while pass- 
ing through a piece of woods, the thought came to me that I 
ought to go out one side, kneel down, and pray. I remembered 
what sweet communion with God I used to have under an old 
oak-tree, where I went regularly every day. I yielded to the 
impulse, walked out into the woods, kneeled beside an old log, 
and prayed to God as fervently as in days past. I left, laughing 
at my weakness. I am now just as good as Jesus Christ, and 
stand in his shoes. Perhaps I ought not to say that. It would 
have been far better for me if I had never heard of these views. 
When I went to Angola I was worth two thousand dollars. I 
am a tailor by trade. I work hard summers, and teach winters. 
Now I am not worth over eight hundred dollars. When I gave 
up my religion, I fell fast. I went to gambling and into other 
vices. I must stop. I am saying too much." 

The above were his answers to questions propounded and 
recorded at the time. Christianity is the only system that satis- 
fies the cravings of the immortal mind. It pays. 

In that Monday night congregation there sat a sandy-com- 
plexioned young man, a Universalist, who spoke the evening 
before from Hebrews xii, 2: "Looking unto Jesus, the author 
and finisher of our faith." Twelve years afterward this same 
man was preaching his very plausible doctrines in New Phila- 
delphia, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He had quite a following 
there, and was lauded for his ability. He challenged the entire 



66 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ministry of the county to debate the question of future punish- 
ment with him. 

Bishop Weaver, of the United Brethren Church, though not 
a resident of the county at the time, accepted the challenge. 
They met October, 1867, in New Philadelphia, and debated one 
hour each, for four successive nights, in a crowded hall. The 
verdict of nearly the entire community was that the Bible did 
not teach Universalism. Nineteen more years rolled by, when 
this same man, Sage, bowed the knee at a Methodist altar in 
Canal Dover, just across the river from where the debate oc- 
curred, and was ordained deacon in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church by Bishop Mallalieu, and received on trial in the North 
Ohio Conference. He said to this penman after his ordination: 
"Bishop Weaver cleaned me out completely in that debate. I 
never was satisfied after that, until I gave up Universalism and 
accepted the orthodox faith." 

On his next visit to Georgetown, our young preacher stopped 
with a family in which the husband was a Universalist, and the 
wife a Methodist. The next morning the former, when out at 
the stable looking after the horses, took the liberty to give the 
young, inexperienced preacher a little advice. In substance, 
said he: "You are just starting out in the ministry; and of course 
you wish to be popular. Let me tell you how to become so. 
Do not say anything about future punishment. You can hold 
whatever belief you please, but keep it in abeyance. Universalism 
is such a comfortable doctrine. It sits so easy on the conscience. 
My advice is for you to preach a liberal gospel, and give up 
those terrible doctrines of orthodoxy." It need not be said that 
this advice was never followed. 

Protracted-meetings were held by the "Boy Preacher," as 
he was then called, at Colgan's, Evansport, Bryan, Lafayette, 
and Leatherwood. Brother Warner preached a few times only 
at two of them. Nearly one hundred souls were converted, and 
quite a number sanctified. 

In these meetings three young men were quickened into a 
new spiritual life, and afterwards entered the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in the Central Ohio Conference. 
John R. Colgan was one of them, and has spent thirty-eight years 



ITINERANT LIFE. 



67 



in the active work in that Conference. He is an able and suc- 
cessful expositor of the Word, and is the author of several 
hymns, one of which is sung far and near; namely, "J esus 
Lives." 

At the "Thicket" lived a family by the name of Boyers. Out 
of this home went three children into the itinerant ranks; two 
sons, John and Henry, and a daughter Kate, who became the 
consort of him whose photograph appears on this page. She 
was converted in one of the 

meetings, and has been true I • — ~- — 

to God ever since. 

A younger brother of the 
above was led to Christ in 
a singular way, and it illus- 
trates what a casual remark 
may sometimes do in the sal- 
vation of a soul. Four years 
after, at the close of an after- 
noon service, he addressed 
the preacher thus : " I want 
to thank you for a remark 
you made, which resulted in 
my conversion. We were 
at a funeral. The expected 
preacher did not come 

They called on you to offi- JOHN R . C oi.gan. 

ciate. You stepped forward 

to the stand, and said, 'A minister ought always to be ready to 
preach, to pray, or to die.' That remark was an arrow to my 
heart; and I never had peace until I found it in Christ." 

At several points two-days' meetings were held, at which 
great good was done, and souls saved. The year was one of in- 
cessant toil, many exposures, great sacrifices, and of greater 
blessings. Receipts for that year's hard work were $91.61. 

On May 15th the young preacher's valuable horse, for which 
he had refused $150, died. This was, to him, a great loss, as 
he had no money with which to buy another. From that time 
until Conference, about three months, he traveled that great 




68 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



circuit mostly on foot. Unknown to the young preacher, John 
R. Colgan, in the nobleness of his benevolent nature, raised by 
personal solicitation $55, to assist in purchasing another horse, 
and presented the money to his pastor before he left for Confer- 
ence. Such was itinerant life in the Maumee Swamps over forty 
years ago. 



V. 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 

The: General Conference of May, 1856, divided the territory 
of the North Ohio Conference. The western portion is now 
known as the Central Ohio Conference, and met in Lima, Allen 
County, September 26, 1856, Bishop Beverly Waugh presiding. 
Bishop E. R. Ames was a visitor for a day or two. 

The examination on the course of study of those to be ad- 
mitted was thorough and satisfactory. The venerable bishop, 
whose hair was as white as snow, made one remark to the gradu- 
ating class, which has never been forgotten. "My young breth- 
ren," said he, "never preach without relating something of your 
own experience." The importance of this was made very em- 
phatic during his excellent address. A class of nineteen was 
admitted into full connection, and elected to deacons' orders. 
The following Sabbath, September 28th, after a very practical 
sermon by the bishop from Romans i, 16, they were ordained. 
The Conference adjourned about noon of October 1, 1856. 

The preachers of that day were never consulted as to their 
appointments. If they were, the writer never heard of it. They 
were required to go where they were sent, or retire from the 
work. If by any means it became known to the appointing 
power that a brother wished a certain charge, he was most sure 
to be sent as far the other way as possible. 

This young man heard his name read out for Waterville, 
Maumee District. David Gray was still his presiding elder, and 
was a very successful minister of the gospel. Waterville was 
a small town, and stood on the north bank of the Maumee River, 
six miles above Maumee City. This was a two-weeks' circuit, 
with the following preaching-places; namely, Waterville, Mon- 
clovia, Springfield, White House, Swanton, and Centerville, with 
occasional services at East Swanton and Allman's. This neces- 
sitated three sermons every Sabbath, with several miles ride 
between them; but the roads were usually good, and the work 

69 



7 o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



a comparatively easy one. His salary, as fixed by the stewards, 
was: Table expenses, $65; horse-feed, $35; Church law, $200 
more (as he was about taking to himself another "rib"); total, 
$300. 

He held a ten-days' meeting in the Springfield schoolhouse. 
Very little interest was manifested, though the attendance was 
good. On the tenth night, February 12, 1857, the outlook was 
so unpromising the meeting was closed. That last evening a boy 
only stood up for prayers. He was urged to give his heart to 
Jesus, prayed with, and the benediction pronounced. On our 
way home that night, the enemy whispered: "What a fizzle! You 
have made a failure. There was no good done; never hold an- 
other meeting." 

For thirteen years the author's moral pulse went below zero 
whenever he thought of that meeting. One day the following 
letter was received, since which time he has thanked God un- 
ceasingly that he held that meeting: 

"Evanston, III., August 29, 1870. 
"My Dear Brother, — It may be that you have forgotten me; but I 
have not forgotten you. No! I can not forget you. At the close of the 
service, when all seemed so dark, you, dear brother, said, 'If there is any 
one here that feels the need of Christ, remain standing while the rest 
will be seated after the singing.' I thank God that I remained on my 
feet; and it was not long after that I found the new life, of which I was 
an entire stranger before. From that day to this 'goodness and mercy 
have followed me,' and I am determined 'to dwell in the house of the 
Lord forever.' I have been preaching over two years, endeavoring to 
lead souls to Christ. I remain, Yours in Jesus, 

"(Signed,) Nathan N. Clark." 

February 23d a protracted-meeting was begun in Waterville, 
which lasted seventeen days. Twenty souls were converted, and 
the membership greatly quickened. Two incidents connected 
with this meeting will be related. On the evening of March 4th, 
a business man, the head of a family, who had staid away from 
the meetings for fear of being caught, came in during prayer, 
and kneeling down beside his wife, said to her, "I am, by the 
grace of God and your help, determined to lead a different life." 
They arose, came to the altar, and kneeled side by side, where he 
was presently converted. This gentleman was a strictly moral 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



71 



man; yet, like every other sinner who expects to get to heaven, 
he had to be born again. 

Just across the street from the church lived quite a different 
character. He was profane, and ugly in his family. By trade he 
was a cabinetmaker and undertaker. His wife dreaded to hear 
of a death; for she had to trim the coffin. He wx>uld give her no 
directions as to how he wanted it done. If the work did not 
suit him, he would knock her down. Poor woman! How could 
she discern what his whims might be? for they were never twice 
alike. This kind of life had gone on for years unknown to any 
save themselves. The end was reached in this wise. He came 
over to the church one night, taking a back seat. God sent the 
truth to his heart. He w r as convicted of sin, hastened home be- 
fore the services closed, to curse this preacher in particular, and 
Methodists generally. He raved like a madman through that 
entire night, pacing to and fro, and frothing at the mouth. His 
family was alarmed for its own safety. For three days he re- 
mained away from the church, when curiosity brought him back 
to see what was going on. Again the truth cut him to the 
quick. He trembled like Belshazzar of old, feeling that he "was 
being shaken over hell" (his own words). He left the church in 
a fury, pronouncing all manner of imprecations upon him who 
dared to preach the Word so plainly, and upon Christian people 
universally. These anathemas were poured out without stint 
until near morning, as he walked the floor in his own house. 
His wife and children were in terror. Just before dawn he began 
to pray, and asked his wife to pray for him. When the morning 
light streaked up over the Eastern sky, light from heaven came 
into that household. That wretched man, wife, and daughter 
were happily converted. Until this time they were entirely un- 
known to him who was conducting the meeting. The lion be- 
came a lamb, and that home a paradise. 

When that Conference year closed, the people and the entire 
Official Board, without one exception, desired the return of their 
pastor. So also did the presiding elder. The result we shall see. 

Plymouth Circuit. — The Conference that year convened 
September 17, 1857, in Toledo, Ohio, Bishop Osman C. Baker 



7 2 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



in the chair. The second day of the session, the bishop walked 
down the aisle, and handed the writer an envelope. On opening- 
it, he found himself transferred to the North Ohio Conference, 
and appointed junior preacher on Plymouth Circuit, in Rich- 
land County. Richard Hager was preacher in charge, and Hiram 
Humphrey presiding elder. This was a four-weeks' circuit, with 
nine appointments; namely, Plymouth, McKendree, West Au- 
burn, Goodwell, Ripley, Greenwich, Nineveh, New Haven, and 
Salem. 

He found his colleague a good preacher and superior re- 
vivalist; one that God honored with rich and abundant blessings. 
He has long since gone to his reward. 

The junior preacher assisted him in revival work at Ply- 
mouth and at Ripley; but held meetings alone at Nineveh Cor- 
ners (sometimes called East Greenwich), and at Salem, while 
his colleague conducted meetings elsewhere on the circuit. 

It was a most blessed year. Many souls were saved. After 
all shrinkage, two hundred and twenty-five were taken into the 
Church in full connection. It was a year of the right hand of 
God, the like of which was never seen on that circuit before. 
From those revivals at least two preachers have gone out to 
bless and save humanity, — Richard Culver, now in the local 
ranks, and James P. Mills, for many years an effective member 
of the North Ohio Conference. 

Not far north from the "Corners" was a Quaker settlement. 
These "Friends" often attended the services, and became quite 
interested in the meetings. One evening the young preacher 
was riding to Church in a sleigh with Brother Doud, a local 
preacher, when he asked, "What shall I preach about to-night?" 
In the back of the sleigh were a number of young people. 
Among them was a young Quakeress by the name of Sarah 
Gifford, who was still unsaved. She had been taught that all 
preachers, but theirs, either memorized or read their sermons. 
That question, propounded to see what the answer would be 
as much as anything else, caught the ear of that intelligent 
young lady. She said to herself, "I will listen to him, for his ser- 
mons are not committed." The Holy Spirit sent the word to 
her heart, and the result was her conversion. The house was 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



73 



so packed with people that an altar service was impossible. All 
that could be done was to ask those who desired to start for 
heaven to rise up, or if standing to raise their hands. Quite a 
number did so signify. Sarah was among the first to rise. The 
request was made for all to kneel if they could; if not, to bow 
the head. Some one led in prayer. Sarah knelt right where 
she was seated, only a few feet from the stand, and began to 
pray. Soon her countenance shone with the glow of "the Sun 
of righteousness." There on the floor she remained, with face 
upturned, clapping her hands ever so gently, and in the softest 
of whispers exclaimed, "Glory! Glory! Glory!" until the meeting 
was dismissed. Her Quaker friends stood with their broad- 
brimmed hats on, gazing at the scene, while the tears were 
coursing down their cheeks. Sarah Gifford has ever since been 
proclaiming that same gospel to others, which so gloriously saved 
her on that eventful night. 

In the back of that sleigh sat Leander L , a son of Brother 

Doud, who has since become quite prominent in Church and 
business affairs. He is secretary and treasurer of the A. B. 
Chase Company, manufacturers of pianos and organs, at Nor- 
walk, Ohio, and senior superintendent of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Sunday-school at that place. 

An old man who had been a Universalist was converted, of 
which no one had the least doubt, so great was the change. 
This was shown in all that he said or did. One morning he did 
not come to his breakfast as usual. His daughter, supposing 
he had overslept, sent one of the children to call him. He was 
kneeling by his chair, his Bible lay open before him, and his head 
leaned forward; he was dead! The spirit had taken its flight to 
the land of the saved. 

Squire S and his family were on their way to the services, 

when his wife said to him in a casual sort of way: "Our neighbors 
are coming out on the Lord's side. Will they not expect some- 
thing from you and me?" He responded by taking her hand 
in his, and giving it a gentle pressure; at the same time the 
tears were flowing freely. That night the entire family, consist- 
ing of several grown-up children and the parents, were brought 
into the kingdom of grace. 



74 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



During the progress of this meeting a young doctor, living 
three miles away, became alarmed about his soul's salvation. 
He kneeled in his office for prayer, and was soon converted. In 
one of our day-meetings the fact was related, either by him or 
some one who knew of it. This was none other than Rev. 
William Jones, M. D., D. D., IX. D., of the St. Louis Confer- 
ence. He has been a useful minister of the gospel for over thirty 
years. 

M. M. Burgess was the class-leader. His eldest daughter, 
Ann, had married Samuel Watson some years before. He re- 
quested his father-in-law to invite the young preacher to dinner 
on a given day, that they might become acquainted. The inter- 
vening period he spent in studying infidel works, for he was a 
pronounced, unbeliever, that he might demolish the young strip- 
ling, and demonstrate the falsity of the Christian system. They 
were introduced at the home of the class-leader, where they were 
to dine. The pastor then knew nothing of Watson's prepara- 
tions. Having decided to have no controversy, he led the con- 
versation on history, science, politics, farming, horses, cattle, 
etc.; anything and everything, except religion. Each time Wat- 
son endeavored to introduce his favorite theme, the conversation 
was adroitly turned in another direction. The repast over, Wat- 
son had to hasten home to do his chores; not in the best of 
humor, to think he had been outgeneraled. He spent the night 
boiling in rage over his folly. The next morning he and his 
family came to the services, the first for him in years. During 
the brief discourse, this illustration, a flash of the moment, was 
used: As the iceberg floating down into the Gulf Stream is dis- 
solved by the effect of the water and of the sun's rays, so is un- 
belief and the hardened character by the influence of the true 
Christian in the home and in the community. 

The speaker somehow felt that the Holy Spirit had sent that 
thought direct to Watson's heart. His head dropped as if pene- 
trated by a bullet. The services, consisting of singing, prayer, 
and testimony, went on for nearly two hours; but there sat 
Watson with his head down. No one went near him. W r hen all 
had gone save two, they approached him, saying, "Shall we pray 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



75 



for you?" Watson answered by falling on his knees,' and calling 
upon God for mercy. The struggle went on hour after hour; 
unbelief was strong; it was difficult for him to grasp the promise 
and believe. Finally, as the sun was disappearing in the far west, 
relief came to his sin-burdened soul, and a calm peace dwelt 
therein. For nearly six hours that meeting lasted; yet we were 
not tired! 

He and his family were at the morning meeting the next day, 
when he gave a testimony in substance as follows: "For seven 
years I have tried to be an infidel. I procured and studied all the 
works on unbelief published. I have talked my infidel views. 
Because my wife would not give up her religion, I have perse- 
cuted her, while by her meek and quiet spirit she was all the 
time refuting my infidel arguments. I knew that she was right, 
and I was wrong. That fact maddened me. Yesterday, when the 
preacher spoke of the dissolving iceberg, it all came home to 
me, and I had to yield. I prepared a trap for him, intending to 
clean him out; but I was foiled. Last night, just about sundown, 
God had mercy on my soul, and from this on I am determined 
to live a Christian. Pray for me." After the above testimony, 
the scene can be imagined, but not described. He and his long- 
suffering wife wept in each other's arms. There were no dry 
eyes in that house. From that, day forward, Watson has been a 
faithful and consistent Christian. 

That meeting lasted only eighteen days. Forty-five were 
born of the Spirit, and united with the Church; the majority of 
them were heads of families. About a year after, a neat church 
was erected and paid for. When this pastor preached therein on 
a week night the house was filled with attentive listeners. Wat- 
son shouted his old pastor down three times during that one 
short sermon. God be praised! 

March 22d, a meeting was commenced at Salem, which con- 
tinued twenty-two days. Thirty-four were converted, and joined 
the Church. The farmers, not unfrequently, left their teams 
standing in the field tied to the fence, and came to Church. 
Manning Bray, a very promising young man, was converted 
March 31st, and died happy July 15th. 



7 6 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



At Plymouth, a man past middle life, after his conversion, 
was asked, "How he managed to live in sin so long?" The 
reply was, "1 rushed on from sin to sin so rapidly that I did not 
take time to think." 

W S had been a very wicked man. At Ripley, Feb- 
ruary 6, 1858, he came to the altar of prayer with many others. 
He wept freely as he pleaded for mercy. His whole soul was 
deeply in earnest. Relief came to his burdened heart. He 
sprang to his feet, and started down the aisle, exclaiming, 
"Glory to God! Glory to God! I have found a new Father! I 
have found a new Father!" With each shout he seized the hair 
of his head, first with one hand, then with the other, as he 
marched up and down the aisles of the church. Some of the 
people wept; others shouted for joy. 

These examples are given as samples of God's work among 
men that year. They could be duplicated over and over again. 
Only a few instances are presented, to show the character of the 
work done, and not as a history of the whole. 

The junior preacher's table expenses on this charge were 
fixed at $115; horse-feed at $35; Church law, $200; total salary, 
$350. All of which were paid, beside several liberal donations. 

Most of that Official Board have gone from the stage of 
action. Others equally effective have taken their places. 
Though the workmen fall, the work goes on. Gladly would I 
sketch their lives had I room; but space forbids. Yet I am 
tempted to insert two. 

J. A. Field and family were active members of the Church 
in Plymouth. He was engaged in merchandising. Afterward 
he moved to St. Louis, Mo., where he became prominent in 
Sunday-school and Church work. He was a lay member of the 
General Conference at Omaha in 1892. His has been an active 
and a very useful life. 

Another remarkable man on this charge was Samuel Parker. 
He worked hard every day at his trade as a wagonmaker. He 
was an earnest, devout Christian man, full of the Spirit, and 
constantly exemplified this in his life. He shrank from the duty 
of preaching the gospel, and devoted himself to business. His 
liberality was proverbial. He gave all his income, save a bare 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



77 



living. His contributions annually to the general benevolences 
of the Church were extremely liberal; often as high as $500 to 
missions, and $250 to Church Extension. Other benevolences 
were never overlooked. He has gone; but a son bearing his 
name follows in his steps. 

Sullivan. — A few extracts from the diary of 1858 will be in 
place here: 

"September 21st. — Drove into Wooster this morning with fear and 
trembling, on account of the Conference examinations, which ended about 
four o'clock. What a relief to my mind! How exceedingly thankful I 
am that the four years' course has ended successfully!" 

"22d. — The North Ohio Conference opened its Annual Session this 
morning, with Bishop E. R. Ames in the chair. James Wheeler preached 
the missionary sermon." 

"23d. — Daniel Wise, D. D., gave an excellent lecture on the Sunday- 
school Union. F. S. De Hass, D. D., presented the Tract Cause in a 
glowing speech." 

"24th. — William Taylor, of California (since Bishop of Africa), was 
introduced, and made a telling speech. At three o'clock he preached 
a flaming sermon from Hebrews v, 11-14, and vi, 1. I. Spiritual Babes; 
II. Spiritual Men." 

"Sunday, September 26th. — An excellent love-feast. God's presence 
was manifest. Bishop Ames preached at eleven o'clock, from 1 Thessa- 
lonians i, 5, a sermon of great force and power, after which several 
were ordained deacons. At three P. M. William L. Harris, afterward 
bishop, preached. Then nine were ordained elders. It was an epoch to 
one, who had fasted and prayed much over his ordination, that he might 
receive all that it meant, and that he might be worthy of the same. The 
bishop's hands were laid on his head, and those impressive words re- 
peated for the ninth time: 'The Lord pour upon thee the Holy Ghost 
for the office and work of an elder in the Church of God, now committed 
unto thee by the imposition of our hands. And be thou a faithful dis- 
penser of the Word of God, and of his holy sacraments; in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.' During the 
utterance of these words there came upon him such a mighty baptism of 
the Holy Spirit, that there was scarcely room to receive it. The bishop 
leaped and shouted. So did 'Father' Jacob Young, of the Ohio Con- 
ference, who had assisted in the ordination service. They embraced each 
other, and wept for joy. The fire spread. There were tears of gladness, 
hallelujahs, shouts, and clapping of hands in various parts of the house, 
while songs of praise were being sung. When he turned from that sacred 
altar, one who had been ordained the year before extended both hands, 



7S 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



tears were coursing down his cheeks, exclaimed, '0, how I wish 1 had 
waited another year before being ordained!'" 

Bishop Ames told the writer, eleven years after, "The like 
of that ordination service I never witnessed before, or since. 
The Holy Ghost came upon me with such force, while repeating 
those words the last time, that I could hardly restrain myself 
from shouting before they were finished, so great was my joy." 

"September 27th. — The Conference adjourned this morning at seven 
o'clock. My name followed that of Sullivan. O, my God, give me 
success!" 

This was a two-weeks' circuit, with five appointments; 
namely, Sullivan, Homer, North Orange, Troy, and Rochester. 

The stewards made the estimate as follows: Table expenses, 
$75; horse-feed, $20; Church law, $216. A little one had been 
added to our family. Total, $341. Of this amount, $285.65 was 
received by the close of the Conference year. 

The entry of October 14th says: "Almost discouraged, in view of my 
surroundings. No house can be had in which to live. I have no en- 
couragement from any direction save the grace of God." 

"October 27th. — After much prayer, I have determined to raise the 
money, and buy a parsonage of six rooms in Sullivan. Began soliciting 
funds to-day." 

"October 28th. — Continued the collection. The writings were drawn 
this evening, and the house is ours. How thankful I am that we have a 
home once more!" 

"October 29th. — Moved in to-day, and began unpacking." 

"December 26th. — Filled with Divine glory. Jesus was never more 
precious. I want to see at least sixty souls converted at North Orange." 

"December 27th. — Began a protracted-meeting there this evening. 
A dull time. Not one sign of a revival in or out of the Church. Only 
on the pastor's heart does the burden rest." 

"January 5th. — The Church has been asleep so long, that it is only 
beginning to awake. They seem so indifferent, I am tempted to leave 
them to themselves." 

The above was written during the day; but behold what was 
added before retiring: 

"Evening services closed. Eight forward to-night. Six converted. 
To God be all the glory!" 

"January 7th. — Good meeting to-day. Many wept over their short- 
comings. Fifteen forward this evening. One made very happy." 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



79 



"January 12th. — The meeting is sweeping on gloriously^ Many for- 
ward, morning and evening. One who had been seeking a number of 
days, when the light broke through the darkness of her soul, praised 

God with all her might. So did her brother. H. L. B was filled 

with the Spirit, and shouted, 'Glory to God! Hallelujah!' and clapped 
his hands for joy." 

"January 18th. — An interesting meeting this morning. Two hardened 
sinners forward for prayers. One wore long hair, parted in the middle, 
and a very long beard. That night he came again. Though he prayed 
with all his might, he prevailed not." 

"January 19th. — He came again, and presented himself at the altar. 
His wife had a babe on her arm only three weeks old, and was sitting in 
the back part of the house, the very picture of despair. The pastor's wife, 
who had a nursing child of her own, went to her, saying, 'Let me take 
your little one.' She complied, and hastened to that altar. Soon her 
husband was converted. Looking round, saw his wife kneeled at his 
side, threw his arms around her neck, and shouted, 'Hallelujah! Glory 
to God! I am saved.' She was blessed at the same moment. Then for 
the first time she thought of her babe, and hastened back to get it. The 
next morning when they came to Church, his hair and beard were neatly 
trimmed. The former was parted on the side, though not a word had 
been said to him on the subject. There was a shout in the camp this 
evening. Ten converted. Glory shone in their very faces. How they 
praised God! What power was manifest? O Lord! carry on thy work!" 

"January 21st. — The Lord helped in preaching the Word in an un- 
usual manner. It was prayer and praise all around the altar. God's power 
was manifested to saint and sinner." 

"January 24th. — Twenty-six started to-night. They rushed to the 
altar like sheep over a wall. The devil is fighting us; but the Lord is on 
our side, and we shall prevail." 

"January 25th. — Three young men were happily converted while 
kneeling side by side. Many were prostrated to the floor. The shouting 
was almost deafening." 

"January 26th. — A precious and solemn meeting. Several conver- 
sions. The power of God rested on many. Thirteen at one time lay 
helpless in different parts of the church. Some came to in a few mo- 
ments. Others in an hour or more, and one lay for three days, entirely 
unconscious of all her surroundings. The only evidence of life was her 
breathing. Some wicked fellows confessed afterward that they stuck 
pins into the arms and limbs of some of those prostrated, expecting to 
see them jump; but there was not a flinch of a nerve or muscle." 

The Christian people remained at the Church until three 
o'clock the next morning, when nearly all had regained their 
consciousness. Those who had not were taken to their homes, 
6 



80 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

or to the nearest house. Rachel, the wife of Alexander Phillips, 
lay helpless for some time before she began to show signs of life. 
She spoke with a heavenly sweetness that no pen can describe: 

"Precious Jesus! Praise the Lord! Glory to Jesus! I saw Jesus. 
He is so sweet. He says I was converted ten years ago. I will doubt 
no more. I saw such pretty things there. Jesus stood on the edge of the 
throne. He smiled so sweetly, saying, if I will be faithful a little longer 
he will take me home. I saw a great many folks there. They were not 
angels. There were all sizes of children. No wonder we love Jesus! 
I long to go and dwell with him. I do love Jesus. They all praise him. 
No sinners in heaven. There are wonders there which I saw, that I am 
not permitted to tell. Who is fanning me? I felt a breeze. It is so 
sweet." 

No one was fanning her. That scene can never be forgotten. 
Long since Jesus has taken her home. She was true to him to 
the very last. The above statements were written as they were 
uttered. 

The testimonies of all were very similar. One said: "I saw 
my brother there," as she pointed upward; "how sweetly he 
smiled! Precious Jesus!" 

"January 27th. — A meeting of power this morning. The very air 
seemed impregnated with the Divine presence. No sermon would fit. 
God was so near. There was weeping, wailing, and prostrations in 
different parts of the house. How wondrously God did save and bless the 
people!" 

Samuel Smith, out of curiosity, came to Church one night. 
The pastor, who always kept a supply of religious books for sale 
at the close of each service during the week, showed him Jesse 
T. Peck's little book, entitled, "What Must I Do to Be Saved?" 
He read the title and shook his head, and walked away, not to 
return for three days. An arrow, however, had pierced his soul, 
and he could not extract it. 

The diary continues: ^ 

"February 2d. — He was converted, and made very happy. His wife 
found Jesus, precious to her in the evening." 

"February 5th. — I preached my fifty-second sermon since these meet- 
ings began. Nearly two a day. There have been at least sixty souls con- 
verted. My request has been granted. To God be all the praise! Over 
that number joined the Church." 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



Si 



"February 7th. — One young man, who had been seeking for four 
-days, became despondent, and was about to give up. On his way to 
Church, having learned of his intention, the pastor urged him to make 
one more effort, trusting God alone for the result. The house was very 
much crowded. He had to take his seat close up to the stand. Just as 
the text was being announced, that young man was blessed. He sprang 
to his feet, and told the people what Cod had done for him. He exhorted 
with great vehemence the unsaved to seek salvation at once. The power 
of God descended upon the congregation. There was no need of a ser- 
mon. The invitation was given, and the people came rushing to the 
altar. Many were saved." 

"February 10th. — Two were converted. The past six weeks has 
shown the greatest display of Divine power mine eyes ever witnessed. 
All the glory belongs to God. Closed the meetings to-night." 

A protracted-meeting was held in Homer for twenty-one days. 
A few were saved. Those of the "baser sort" broke up the meet- 
ing. The Church of Christ and the liquor-traffic are antago- 
nistic. Their interests can not be harmonized. The success of 
the one means the overthrow of the other. Which shall it be? 
is for the religious people to decide. The good people of Homer 
were cowed by the whisky element. There was no church-build- 
ing there then. All meetings were held in the schoolhouse. 
Nothing but absolute prohibition of the manufacture and sale of 
all intoxicants will save this Nation. God hasten the time! 

The church in Sullivan was repaired. The year closed pleas- 
antly to all concerned, with a unanimous request for the pastor's 
return. 

Orange: Circuit was his next charge, which called for a 
move of only seven miles. On this circuit three services were 
held every Sabbath. Orange, Polk, Hopewell, New Pittsburg, 
Rousburg, and Lafayette were the names of the several places. 

The parsonage was at Orange, and not in a suitable condition 
for occupancy. It had been rented for several years, and was 
greatly out of repair and extremely filthy. The cistern had caved 
in, and there was no well. The barn had been used for a hog- 
pen. No one volunteered to help renovate things, or to repair 
that which was needful. The pastor had no money with which 
to hire it done. He and his wife had all this cleaning and re- 
pairing to do before they could go to housekeeping. The people 



82 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



were indifferent. Anything was good enough for a poor itin- 
erant; while they lived in good comfortable homes, and were 
well-to-do. 

A sixteen-days' meeting was held in Rousburg, with little 
apparent results. During the month of February a meeting was 
commenced in Orange. The Church was greatly benefited, and 
about forty souls converted. One incident is worth mentioning: 

There lived two doors north of the parsonage a man having 
a wife and two small children. She was convicted of sin, and felt 
that if she did not start for the kingdom that night, she would be 
lost forever. Consulted her husband on the subject of duty. He, 
being a bitter opponent of religion, replied: "If you go to that 
Methodist altar to-night, I will drag you out by the hair of your 
head." After conversing with some of her friends, she decided to 
"obey God rather than man;" came to the Church, and, after the 
sermon, kneeled, with many others, at the altar of prayer. While 
the congregation was standing to sing, and the invitation was 
being urged, the above-mentioned gentleman was seen elbowing 
his way up through the crowded aisle. The pastor, having 
learned his intent, met him just before he reached the altar, and 
placing one hand on his shoulder, called on Jacob Fluke to pray. 
The singing ceased. All went down on their knees, the en- 
raged man with the rest, who trembled from head to foot, as if 
shaken by the power of God. Brother Fluke prayed as never 
before. The Holy Ghost power came down on the people. That 
man's wife knew not that her incensed husband was within arm's- 
length of her as she prayed and when she was converted. After 
two or three prayers, they arose to sing, when the infuriated man 
fled from the church, as if shot out of a gun. The next morning 
early he endeavored to hang himself to spite his wife. She inter- 
cepted this little scheme. He next got a razor, declaring he 
would cut the preacher's throat, and then his own. For this pur- 
pose he secreted himself in the parsonage barn, where he was 
found by some men, called in by his wife, who took the razor 
from him, and conveyed him home. For some unknown cause 
the pastor was prevented from going to the stable as early as 
usual that morning; or he would not, in all probability, write 
these lines. Soon after being conveyed to his house, he clan- 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



33 



destinely took a big dose of "corrosive sublimate," which caused 
his death. Though medical aid was secured, it failed to counter- 
act the effects of the poison. 

The pastor labored against odds all that year, because he was 
not the choice of the people, they having expected another. On 
account of this, he asked to be removed when Conference came, 
and his request was granted. 

Dover, on the lakeshore, west of Cleveland, was his next 
appointment. This was a half-station, with preaching at Dover 
every Sabbath morning, and at Rockport or Dover lakeshore 
on the alternate afternoons. On Monday evenings, once in two 
weeks, at Brigg's. He had some good meetings at Dover and 
at the other points, but no sweeping revivals. Only a few con- 
versions. The year was, in some particulars, a hard one. He 
received very little pay. Once his family supplies were reduced 
to a handful of flour and a few potatoes. 

Just as these were being consumed, God sent a wagon-load 
of supplies. Ofttimes was the bottom of the flour-barrel reached, 
but somehow or in some way, just before it was scraped clean, 
needed aid always came. God knew all about it. 

The last of February (1861), Abraham Lincoln, on his way 
to be inaugurated President of the United States, halted in Cleve- 
land long enough to witness a procession in his honor, and to 
address, from the balcony of the Lindel Hotel, the thousands 
who listened with closest attention to this most remarkable man. 
That tall form, intelligent face, and benevolent features impressed 
every onlooker with the goodness and sincerity of his heart, 
which was so often exhibited in after years. His were words of 
wisdom and of intense earnestness. The large majority of his 
listeners felt that he, who had requested the prayers of the Nation, 
was the sent of God, and they were willing to grant his wish. 

In the following April the tocsin of war was sounded through 
all our land. Drums were beating, fifes playing, martial music 
sounding everywhere. The flag had been fired upon, and some- 
thing had to be done. The Government of the fathers was in 
danger. Men and women were ready to sacrifice the comforts 
of home — yea, even life itself — for their country's sake. The Gov- 



3 4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ernment can never repay the Nation's defenders, no matter what 
they may do. Justice demands that they be rewarded according 
to his, or her, necessities. The years spent in the service would 
have been used in laying up a competence, instead of standing 
in the ranks to be shot at by an enemy. Niggardly is the policy 
that begrudges to the old veteran the little pittance which he 
receives from the Government. 

Once more this penman said to his presiding elder, though 
the year had been an harmonious one, "Send me somewhere else; 
I can do nothing here." 

Dai/ton Circuit came next, with John McNabb preacher in 
charge, and Joseph Kennedy presiding elder. Brother McNabb 
was a superior sermonizer, but a very poor conversationalist. 
Out of the pulpit he never seemed to know what to say; but in 
it, that often "unruly member" hung on a swivel, and swung both 
ways. His sermons were masterly efforts, and were delivered 
with great force. John McNabb was a good man, and had few 
equals as a preacher. He rests from his labors. 

In the spring of 1862, his eldest son, Joseph, enlisted in the 
Union army. His colleague hastened to extend his sympathies 
to the family. With a deep sigh, Brother McNabb replied : "It is 
much easier to send other people's sons to the army than your 
own." 

This was a four-weeks' circuit, with nine appointments; 
namely, Dalton, Greenville, Canal Fulton, Clinton, Doylestown, 
Brookfield, Union Chapel, Bristol, and Orrville. McNabb lived 
at Dalton in the parsonage. His colleague resided "in his own 
hired house" in Doylestown. They were about fifteen miles 
apart. At the latter place a new church was dedicated, Decem- 
ber 15, 1861, by W. B. Disbro. McNabb decided, in January, 
1862, to hold a protracted-meeting there, where it was greatly 
needed, but was not even desired by the people in, or out of, the 
Church. On Sunday, January 12th, "the little preacher," as they 
then called him, preached; the preacher in charge on Monday 
evening. Tuesday morning he said to the junior preacher: "I 
am going home; you preach to-night and to-morrow night. I 
will be back on Thursday night, and will preach and close the 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



35 



meeting, if you do not close u: before. Nothing can be done 
with such a quarrelsome set. I can see no signs of a revival." 

His orders were obeyed to the letter. Thursday he preached 
at ten and one-half o'clock A. M., when three out of the few pres- 
ent agreed to pray three times a day until a revival came. That 
evening, no McNabb. The junior preacher had to conduct the 
services. All but those three members advised "that the meet- 
ings close. Nothing can be done without McNabb. There has 
not been a revival here for twenty years. Greater men have tried 
it, and always failed." 

God had laid on that young pastor's heart such a burden 
for souls that he could not rest. He was assured, when pleading 
in secret, that a glorious revival was impending. Of this he was 
just as certain as if he saw it. This is what gave him the courage 
to continue the meetings, though the entire officiary, save one, 
opposed their continuance. God had anointed him afresh for 
this special work. Thus equipped, he neither feared men nor 
devils. 

There were two other Protestant Churches and a Roman 
Catholic Church in town, with large audiences, but with a mem- 
bership as cold as ribbed ice. These bitterly opposed efforts of 
this kind. "Learn the Catechism," "join the Church, and do the 
best you can," was all that they required. "Live your religion," 
said those leaders of the "blind;" "but keep away from all those 
Methodist fanatics." Our people had largely come into sympathy 
with these views. 

Notwithstanding all of this persistent opposition from our 
own and other Churches, the meetings went steadily on for six 
consecutive weeks, with unabated interest. In two services a 
day, except on Mondays and Saturdays, that servant of God 
thundered forth the words of life and of death for thirty days, 
before hearing one solitary word from his colleague. Then a 
letter came, saying: "I have been very sick. Am convalescent. 
Will come up as soon as able." 

Ten days more that meeting swept on, removing all oppo- 
sition, like the Johnstown flood. There had come to that Church 
and community a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that over 
two hundred souls had been saved and blessed. The other min- 



86 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



isters in the town did all they could against the meetings, en- 
deavoring to keep their people away. Many of them were con- 
verted at our altars. As a last resort, they held opposition meet- 
ings during the last two weeks. Not one word or hint was given 
in public or in private during those forty days that could be con- 
strued into a desire to proselyte by the leader of these meetings. 

Yet the other ministers were at it from morning to night 
during the last weeks of the meeting. They did everything in 
their power to keep their people from attending the services. 
The result was, that one of the Churches took in eighty-five mem- 
bers, and the other quite a number. Methodist converts were 
good enough for them. 

This is usually the case. The conductor of the meeting 
adopted his usual practice, saying: "I am not here to make sec- 
tarians of you. I do not ask you to join any Church. Settle 
that between God and your own conscience. After you are con- 
verted, go where you can get the most good." 

From Brother McNabb himself the following facts were 
learned. Said he: "I had fully made up my mind to close the 
meeting on Thursday night, if you had not; and to forbid you 
going on with it. Joseph brought out my horse. Roy [who has 
since been a missionary in Central China, and is now a pastor 
in the Colorado Conference, doing good work] got in to go with 
me. I was feeling as well as ever in my life, and told my wife 
I would be home the next morning. When I put my foot on the 
step of the buggy, something seemed to seize my throat on the 
inside. I thought it would pass away in a few minutes. The far- 
ther I drove toward Doylestown, the worse I became. As I 
crossed the bridge over the creek below town, I was taken with 
a chill. My throat had become so swollen that I could scarcely 
speak. The town was in sight. The church steeples were in 
full view. I turned my horse around, and hastened home, went 
to bed, and did not get out for four weeks. It came very near 
costing me my life. God set his seal on me, that I should not 
interfere with you in conducting the meeting." "God's ways are 
not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts." 

In these jottings I can give only three incidents of this most 
wonderful work of grace, the effects of which remain to this 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



8 7 



day. To God be all the praise ! The power of God so rested on 
the entire community that many were convicted of sin and con- 
verted who had not been near the meetings, some while in 
their homes, and others on the public highways. Of the former 
was a man by the name of Siberlain, the inventor of the "Drop 
Reaper." He afterward moved to Akron, and became famous as 
a reaper manufacturer. Did he in the days of great financial 
prosperity forget "the. Christ?" 

One day a man past middle life, moral and a Universalist, 
who had not been near the meetings, was driving down to his 
coal-bank for a load of coal, when he was so convicted of sin that 
he cried aloud for mercy. The wagon-seat became his "mourn- 
ers' bench," the altar of God to his soul. His prayer was an- 
swered, and he was born of God. Like the woman at Jacob's 
well, who came to draw water, after finding the Messiah, forgot 
her errand, and hastened to tell the glad news to her friends 
(John iv, 28), so this man turned his team around in front of his 
coal-bank, forgetting what he had come for, and hurried back to 
town to tell of his new-found joy. The first man he saw was 
the preacher who was conducting the meeting, and as they met 
in the public square he declared to him the glorious news of his 
conversion. That very night this dignified man sat on the front 
seat of the church, and after bowing the knee at the altar of 
prayer with many others, stood before the amazed audience of 
nearly, five hundred people, and told how remarkably God had 
converted him that day. Many wept for joy while listening to 
the recital of his experience. He told how he had staid away 
from the meetings, because of his hatred for the Methodists, and 
how he had fought against them. But now God had had mercy 
on his soul, etc. He had no further use for Universalism since 
he had found salvation. Neither has any one else under a like 
experience. 

On one side of the public square was a carpenter-shop, and on 
the opposite a place where intoxicating drinks were sold. A well- 
beaten path led across the green sward from one to the other. 
That mechanic worked early and late all the time; yet somehow 
he did not get on very well. He went shabbily dressed. His 
family lived just at the east edge of town. The house needed 



88 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



paint. The rooms were few and sparsely furnished. Where 
many of the window-panes once were, were now rags or old hats, 
which did not add to the comfort of the inmates or to the ap- 
pearance from the outside. The gate was off its hinges, and the 
barn-door gone. The cow stood lowing for the food which sel- 
dom came. The garden was unkept. Everything about the 
place had a slovenly look. His wife and children were scantily 
clad, even in winter, and were very poorly fed. They were the 
pictures of despair. The husband and father was never known 
to get drunk. Yet the first thing in the early morning was an 
"eye-opener;" then after his scanty breakfast, "a digester;" be- 
fore dinner, "an appetizer;" and after it a drink to "aid the diges- 
tion." His supper was washed down by an "eye-shutter." Oft- 
times between meals, when a customer paid a bill, they stepped 
over to the saloon for a drink. This man considered himself 
only a moderate drinker. He could quit any time if he would. 
He was no drunkard! His wife and children were too meanly 
clad to attend Church or Sunday-school. The dispenser of bev- 
erages and his family lived in very comfortable quarters, and were 
well-dressed; the latter in their silks and satins. They considered 
themselves very respectable people, and far above the unfortunate 
family above-mentioned. 

A month or so passes quickly by after the above-mentioned 
observations were made; and what a change in that drinking 
man's family! They occupy the front seat in the church, plainly 
but neatly clad. Cheerfulness marks every feature of their faces. 
They, with many others, are admitted into the Church on proba- 
tion. The pastor calls on them once more. What a transforma- 
tion! The gate is on its hinges. The barn-door is in place. The 
cow has plenty of feed. The window stuffings have disappeared, 
and glass takes their places. The rooms are carpeted, and needed 
furniture added; wife and children contented and happy. Sum- 
mer comes, the dust lies undisturbed, and the grass is growing 
in the untrodden path over to the saloon, which is now closed 
for the want of patronage. 

What made the change? The religion of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, which came into that home, converting husband and wife. 
Their children saw and felt the difference, and as well the dumb 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



8 9 



animal. The money now earned goes to add comforts to his 
own home, and not to that of the man who is too indolent to 
earn an honest living so long as he can catch in his trap the 
unwary, and fill his till with their hard earnings. 

A man by the name of P , living next door to the pastor, 

was soundly converted, and joined the Church on a Sabbath 
morning. His wife and two children accompanied him the next 
time he went. She had been "confirmed" at the age of fourteen 
years, and supposed herself a Christian; but no one else, not even 
her own husband, entertained such a thought. She was con- 
victed of sin; but would not go to the altar or join the Church 
on probation. She searched the house from garret to cellar, 
emptied drawers, took up carpets ; all to find the evidence of her 
Christian character. The missing confirmation certificate could 
not be found. Her convictions deepened; still she would not 
yield. One night, after reaching home from the services, her 
husband proposed family worship. She said as she dropped on 
her knees, "Pray tor me." That prayer was not answered until 
near midnight, when she was joyously saved. The blessing did 
not come, however, until she was willing to go to the altar, or to 
any place God might require; then the victory came. The next 
Sabbath she, with many others, joined the Church on probation. 
How the Holy Spirit can mellow the pride of the human heart! 

Meetings were held at several points and in Canal Fulton, 
with good results to many in and out of the Church. Dr. L. A. 
Markham was a practicing physician there, and an active member 
of the Church. The "regulars" called him a "quack," but he was 
more successful in his practice than the best of them. He after- 
ward entered the ministry. His labors therein have also been 
remarkably successful. In the North Ohio, Missouri, and the 
Kansas Conferences, he has proven himself a workman that 
needeth not to be ashamed. Brother Markham joined the re- 
deemed on the other shore August 27, 1893. His three sons 
stand high where they are known. One is a professor in Bald- 
win University, Kansas, where his mother resides. 

When that Conference year closed, the presiding elder said 
to the junior pastor: "You have had a most successful year. 
There is a place to which I would like to send you, and where 



90 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

you can do a great deal of good." This was the first time, in 
eight successive years, that he was consulted about his appoint- 
ment. As to his conferring with the authorities, that was never 
thought of. Every charge was received as direct from the hand 
of God. All the reply he made to the above was, "Do with me 
as you please." As usual, he did not know where he was going 
until the bishop read the appointments at the close of the Con- 
ference. 

NashviUvE Circuit, our next appointment, had eight 
preaching-places; namely, Nashville, Temple, Mashman's, Eou- 
donville, Drake's Valley, Newkirk's, and Bigelow Chapel. 

Charles D. Takey was preacher in charge. He was a good 
preacher and genial associate. Some way, preaching and he were 
not a fit. After three months he gave up the work, and entered 
upon other employment. His home for years has been in New 
York City, where the writer met him while at the session of the 
General Conference in 1888. 

The junior preacher had a long move with wagons, which 
was no small task, since the "olive plants" around his table had 
increased to the number of three. Two sons and a daughter had 
been gladly received as gifts of God, and were the joy of the 
household. 

Protracted-meetings were held during the months of Janu- 
ary, February, and March, as follows: Napoleon, fourteen days; 
Nashville, eleven days; Bigelow Chapel, seven days; Newkirk's, 
twelve days; Temple, two days; Loudonville, three days; Drake's 
Valley, six days. During these meetings the Church was greatly 
strengthened, and nearly one hundred souls saved. 

"Father" Jacob, a colored man, was sexton of the church at 
Nashville. He was a Christian gentleman, and greatly beloved. 
He entered by faith during the meeting into the "Holy of 
Holies," and was as happy as a mortal could well be and live, 
pastor walked into the church one morning when Jacob was 
ringing the bell. Every time he pulled the rope there came 
bubbling up from within the shout of "Glory! Glory!" His up- 
turned face fairly shone with the light from heaven's own altar. 
He has long since joined the blood-washed before the throne. 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



91 



Lewis Everly, a merchant, was the leading man of the 
Church, who, with his excellent family, royally supported the 
pastor in his work. 

John Knox was a mechanic, quaint, devout, and an able de- 
fender of the Word. 

James Johnson was a local preacher, and resided at New- 
kirk's. The meetings helped him into a richer experience. He 
soon after entered the Conference, and became a useful minister 
of the gospel. 

Near Bigelow Chapel lived a superior young man by the 

name of B , who has been for years a missionary in China, 

under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church. 

There were many excellent men and women on this charge, 
as there were on all of the charges served. 

These were war times, and the excitement ran high. Holmes 
County was no exception to the rule, especially the southwestern 
portion, which was full of "Copperheads," as they were then 
called. Several hundred of this class gathered on a hill, just 
south of Napoleon, built a sort of fort, and stored supplies. Guns 
of every description were brought together for use. The town 
of Napoleon was under guard. No one not loyal to the rebel 
cause was permitted to pass in or out. 

Just what they expected to accomplish no one knew. They 
probably did not know themselves. But for the strategy of a 
woman, no one can predict what this little rebellion might have 
led to. Mrs. Beaty, with a large family, lived just east of the 
town. She determined that the authorities should know what 
was going on. So she put a small boy on a horse, with a basket 
of cabbage-plants for a sick woman, who lived on the road to 
Nashville. The boy rode slowly along through the lines, dropped 
the basket where it was designed, and then ran his horse into 
Nashville, giving the alarm. Word was immediately telegraphed 
to the governor, and the next day four hundred "Boys in Blue" 
marched into Nashville. The town of Napoleon was taken by 
surprise. The enemy never stopped to fire a gun, but fled pre- 
cipitately. Their fort was taken, with all its contents, by the firing 
of only one volley over their heads, when every man "ske- 
daddled!" 



9 2 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Beaty family afterward sold out, and moved to North- 
eastern Missouri, where many of them still reside. 

Between Newkirk's and Bigelow's, off a little to the left, 
stood on a knoll in a grove the Ellsworth schoolhouse. Here 
was a "Butternut" neighborhood. They threatened the life of 
any man who dared to defend the prosecution of the war in their 
midst. The junior preacher, who had charge of the circuit after 
his colleague quit, heard of this, and announced that he would 
speak there at four o'clock P. M. of June 28, 1863. When he 
reached Newkirk's that Sabbath morning, his brethren begged of 
him not to go, fearing that they would egg and hang him. When 
the brethren learned that the appointment would be met, one of 
them said, "I will go with you." The pastor preached that morn- 
ing and afternoon, riding several miles between, and drove up 
to the designated place for the four o'clock service. A crowd of 
people had gathered. In front stood a man with a coil of rope on 
his arm, and beside him another with a basket of eggs. This 
looked like business. They all seemed determined and defiant; 
as much as to say, "How dare you to come here and defend the 
Government?" The horse was hitched to a tree beside an up- 
raised window. The man w r ith the coil of rope and the one with 
the eggs on his lap were as calm as a May morning, after taking 
their seats within. A few verses were sung, prayer offered for 
the support and maintenance of the Government, and for mercy 
on all those who were in arms against the same. The speaker's 
text was Leviticus xxv, 44-46. From this he endeavored to show 
that human slavery was not sustained by a correct interpretation 
of the Bible, and that those in authority were there by Divine 
appointment, and therefore should be sustained. For over two 
hours he addressed that audience on these vital questions. After 
a time the egg man slipped his basket under his seat. The rope 
man did the same. Some wept and others cheered as the dis- 
course proceeded. So great did the enthusiasm become that 
they would allow no halt until the sun was sinking out of sight. 
Rebellion was never heard of in that community again. 

Aaron Y kept a saloon in Nashville, and did a thriving 

business. His home was diagonally across the street from the 
parsonage. Just below town resided a drinking man having a 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



93 



family. The wife and mother worked hard for their support, 
while the father spent all he earned for drink, often stealing her 
little savings and spending them; then coming home, would abuse 
his family shamefully, and smash up things generally. This kind 
of conduct had gone on for a long time, until, in fact, patience had 
ceased to be a virtue. One evening his wife came home from 
doing a hard day's work, weary and tired, to find what little 
money she had laid by was gone. Her husband returned earlier 
than usual, and was more abusive to her and the children than 
ever before, turning them all out of doors. She became desper- 
ate, borrowed a revolver for self-protection, and hastened to the 
saloon. It was near midnight. Aaron was cleaning up for the 
night. She begged of him not to sell her husband any more 
liquor. He ordered her to shut up, or he would put her out. 
He was a strong man and she a slender woman; but she drew 
the revolver, and pointing it toward him, said, "You lay your 

hand on me, and I will kill you." Y retreated behind the 

bar, retorting, "I will sell liquor, so long as God gives me breath;" 
when she exclaimed, "May God not give you breath long!" 
The cowardly cur fled out of the back door, when the fun began. 
The wronged woman smashed every bottle, decanter, and show- 
case in the establishment before she left for her home. It was a 
sorry-looking place the next morning. The consensus of the 
community was that she did right. About two months after, 

word came to the parsonage that Aaron Y was dying. His 

wife sent for the preacher to come over and do something for 
him. He went, and commended him to Christ and prayed with 

him; but the heavens were as brass. Y , turning his head 

away, said, "I have no time now, wait until I get better." His 
wife stood at the foot of the elegant bed on which he lay, wringing 
her hands in deep concern ; but it was of no use. Her prayers and 
tears effected nothing. He died that evening in great agony. 
It was too late! 

Late in the summer of 1863 an epidemic raged in and about 
Nashville, in the form of a bloody flux. People died off like 
sheep. Not unfrequently three funerals a day. This lasted for 
six long weeks. The physicians did all in their power to retard 
its progress. The pastor's wife lay for weeks with the disease, 



94 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



not expected to live from day to day. During the time of her 
illness the Conference met in Mt. Vernon. This penman was 
appointed to New Comerstown Circuit; but could not leave, for 
some time after, the bedside of his sick wife. Their three chil- 
dren had been sent to their grandparents on the lakeshore, near 
Vermillion, to keep them from the disease. His wife was a little 
better on Friday. In the afternoon he decided to start for his new 
field of labor, stay at Millersburg that night, and proceed the 
rest of the way on the next day; after spending the Sabbath, re- 
turn on Monday. 

At Millersburg he stopped with David McDowell, a leading 
merchant of the place. A goodly-sized boy accompanied him 
to put out his horse; and a smaller lad, about five years old, 
walked by his side. He appeared to be very much interested, and 
was exceedingly considerate to the weary itinerant. That little 
boy is to-day the Rev. W. F. McDowell', Ph. D., S. T. D., the 
honored chancellor of the University of Denver, Colorado. 

The evening was spent in religious conversation with the 
family; the boys were attentive listeners. After prayers had been 
said, the clock struck nine, when Brother McDowell picked up 
a lighted candle, and said, "I will light you to bed." They 
stepped into the hall, leading to the stairway, when a rap was 
heard at the front door. The door was opened, a telegram was 
handed to Brother McDowell, who looked at it, and said, "This 
is for you." It was from Vermillion, and read, "Your child is 
dead." That sad message reached Nashville, just after the father 
had started. They did not dare to show it to the mother, for fear 
of serious results. It was sent on by a courier. Immediately 
the tired horse was hitched up, and the backward journey began. 
The night was dark and chilly. Who can describe the feelings of 
the father's heart, on that lonely drive of eighteen miles, not 
knowing how he might find his loving companion? The serious 
question was, How can I impart the sad intelligence to her, and 
what would be the result? Where shall our precious one of only 
two summers be buried? The fact of his unexpected return, at 
such an hour, suggested something wrong. That helped him out 
of the difficulty very much. At four o'clock A. M. he was off to 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



95 



catch an early train at Loudonville, not having had a wink of 
sleep, that he might go and attend to the burial of that dear little 
one. No one can tell what this means until he has had a similar 
experience. At Mansfield an almost insurmountable difficulty 
arose in making the connections. It was Saturday. There would 
be no passenger trains on the Sabbath, and he must get through 
that day, or be delayed until Monday ; but he can not, unless the 
freight train, standing on the track, can get him to Shelby, nine 
miles distant, in time for the Cleveland express on another road. 
There was only ten minutes in which to do this. The conductor 
replied, "It can not be done, as we have one stop to make be- 
tween the points." 

On the platform of the depot he met a former acquaintance, 
to whom the telegram was shown. This gentleman spoke a few 
words to the conductor, when the train pulled out quickly, and 
pushed on at a furious rate, reaching Shelby in time for the other 
train, which, fortunately, had been delayed a few minutes. 

Who was that gentleman whose magical words produced such 
a wonderful effect? He was D. R. Locke, at that time editor of 
a local paper in Plymouth, Ohio, and afterward better known as 
"Petroleum V. Nasby," associate editor of the Toledo Blade. 
This enabled me to reach the point of destination that day, and 
complete the arrangement for the sad burial service. The next 
day our darling one was laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery, 
and ofttimes have we been impressed with the following lines : 

"A gracious one from us has gone, 
A voice we loved is stilled; 
A place is vacant in our home, 
Which never can be filled. 

God in his wisdom has recalled 

The boon his love has given; 
And though the body slumbers here, 

The soul is safe in heaven. 

Farewell, dear one, but not forever; 

There will be a glorious dawn; 
We shall meet to part, no, never, 

On the resurrection morn. 



7 



9 6 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The little crib is empty now, 

The little clothes laid by; 
A mother's hope, a father's joy, 

In death's cold arm doth lie. 

Go, little pilgrim, to thy home, 

On yonder blessed shore; 
We miss thee here, but soon will come 

Where thou hast gone before." 

Nkw ComErstown was a four-weeks' charge, of ten appoint- 
ments: Bakersville, Taylor's, Wesley Chapel, Union, Salem, New 
Comerstown, Mt. Zion, Hopewell, White Eyes, and Kimball's. 
These were filled every two weeks, by the two preachers, alter- 
nately. 

George W. Pepper, a popular preacher, an Irish orator of 
no ordinary ability, and a grand, good colleague, was in charge. 
He remained on the work only for a short time, when he accepted 
the chaplaincy of the 40th United States Infantry, General Miles's 
regiment. Previous to this he had been, for a time, a captain 
in the 80th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The Emerald Isle was 
his birthplace. He emigrated to this country in 185 1; spent a 
year in Kenyon College; entered the North Ohio Conference 
in 1853. After the war closed he was the superintendent of the 
Freedmen's Bureau in North Carolina, and at the same time 
edited the North Carolina Standard. He was subsequently 
United States consul at Milan, Italy, for five years. He has 
visited Egypt, Palestine, and portions of Turkey, and yet re- 
mains in the pastorate in his old Conference. 

The junior preacher, after the departure of his colleague, 
became preacher in charge. He held protracted-meetings as 
follows: Eleven days at Kimball's; twenty-five days at Bakers- 
ville, where he resided; fourteen days at Union, ten days at Wes- 
ley Chapel. The result was one hundred conversions, with many 
sanctified. While the meeting was in progress at Bakersville, 

Henry P , one of the stewards, came to the parsonage, of his 

own free will, and made the following offer: "If you can get my 
son Joseph converted, I will give you fifty dollars." This propo- 
sition was repeated at his own home a day or two after. Before 
that meeting closed Joseph was brought into the kingdom, joined 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 97 

the Church, and has been a useful member thereof ever since. 
That fifty dollars was never paid, though often greatly needed. 

Andy Y was a drunkard. His house stood within a few 

feet of the back door of the parsonage, on lower ground, but 
fronted on another street. His family consisted of a wife and 
two daughters. Their drunken brawls were very annoying to 
the pastor's family. The end came in this way. Andy died a 
horrible death, calling for "Whisky! Whisky!" His groans 
were distinctly heard in the parsonage and on the street. So 
horrible was his agony, that he was left almost to die alone. His 
body turned black in large spots a full half-day before the grim 
messenger gave him relief. 

The Conference year passed quickly, and on the whole pleas- 
antly; when, strange as it then seemed, without consultation he 
was returned in charge for the second year, which was as long 
as the law of the Church then allowed any pastor to remain. The 
year started in very agreeably to all concerned, and without a 
particle of friction anywhere on the charge. 

By the wish and consent of his Official Board, on December 
8, 1864, the pastor left for a six weeks' work in the Union army, 
under the authority of the United States Christian Commission. 
There he remained for four months, when he was appointed 
chaplain of the 188th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was not 
mustered out for more than five months after Lee surrendered. 

(For an account of Army Life, see Part II.) 

Showers of Blessing. — While yet a chaplain in the army 
he was sent to Bolivar, a two-weeks' circuit. The appointments 
were: Bolivar, Milton (afterward changed to Wilmot), Ragers- 
ville, Shanesville, and Dundee. 

Shanesville was the native place and early home of Adam 
Miller, D. D., M. D., who was justly celebrated, for many years, 
in the German work of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Some 
of his relatives resided there at the time. 

During his pastorate of two years the old parsonage in 
Bolivar was sold, and a better one bought and paid for, near the 
church. 

The society in Milton was weak and very much disheartened. 



9 8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The other two Churches there were in the ascendency in num- 
bers. A blatant infidel living there, with less sense than brains, 
had terrorized the people, and poisoned the minds of the young. 
"One sinner destroyeth much good.'' (Ecclesiastes ix, 18.) One 
day a terrific thunderstorm came up, and this boasting, God- 
defying unbeliever hastened from the field to the house. Once 
there, so great was his terror he crept between two feather beds, 
without waiting to disrobe, not even to remove his soiled boots, 
and remained there until the storm had abated. This was too 
good a joke for his wife to keep. His power over the community, 
from that time, was broken, which prepared the way for a won- 
derful work of grace. 

The Lord put it into the pastor's heart to hold a protracted- 
meeting, though there was no sign of a revival, not even one 
as "large as a man's hand." The outward look was dark and 
unpromising; yet the meetings were begun on the ioth of De- 
cember, 1865, and continued for twenty days, without inter- 
mission, with two sermons a day, excepting on Mondays and 
Saturdays. Large audiences greeted the pastor at almost every 
service. Never did he have more liberty in preaching the gospel 
than here. Thirteen souls claimed to be converted. The society 
took a new lease of life, and became strong in God. 

Meetings were begun in Ragersville January 15, 1866, with 
only twelve present. These lasted for twenty-six days. Among 
the many incidents which might be related of this meeting are 
the following: The class-leader of the United Brethren Church, 
in which the services were held, came one night when the meet- 
ings first began, and saw that the preacher wore a full beard, the 
like of which he had never seen in the pulpit before; this was 
contrary to his views of propriety in a minister of the gospel. 
He tucked his head down on the back of the seat in front of him, 
and remained as quiet as a church-mouse. At the close of the 
service he notified the pastor, through another, that "that beard 
must come off, especially the mustache, or he would not at- 
tend. No good could be done by a minister wearing such a 
beard as that." He was a man in good circumstances and of 
great influence in the community. The few Methodist brethren 
were alarmed at the state of affairs, and urged their pastor to 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



99 



comply with the old gentleman's request. This, to him, was a 
poser. He took it to the Lord in prayer, and very soon decided 
not to comply with such an unreasonable and unscriptural de- 
mand. The morning he started to the army he shaved for the 
last time. He found his beard a great protection to the throat 
and lungs, and therefore determined to wear it full. When this 
writer reached the seat of the next Conference he was the only 
minister wearing a full beard. One year after, there were several 
others with beards. God never designed that men should shave 
their faces, any more than their heads. 

But to return to the meeting. The brother who had objected 
to the beard, learning that his wise (?) counsel had not been fol- 
lowed, left his home Church in disgust, to attend meetings else- 
where, where the "minister had sense enough to shave." The 
meetings increased in interest from day to day. About two 
weeks had passed, when lo! our disgusted brother returned, to 
find several of his grown-up children had been converted, with 
many others. His youngest daughter was now a seeker. In 
the congregation he sat with head up, and tears flowing freely, 
while joy beamed from his clean-shaved face as the sermon 
was being delivered. When the invitation was given, his only 
unsaved child came to the altar of united prayer. He was in- 
vited within to converse and pray with the seekers. The Lord 
blessed his daughter and him so powerfully that he fell on the 
altar floor, and, rolling from side to side, praised the Lord. 
Seizing the bearded man, he pulled him down as if he had been 
the merest child. Beards were all proper now, for such a meet- 
ing had never been- witnessed there before. There is a Christian 
lady now living in a fine residence on Capitol Hill, Denver, Colo- 
rado, who was converted in that meeting. 

One incident further must suffice: On the hill just south of 
town there lived a tanner in easy circumstances, by the name of 
James Stout, whose family consisted of a wife and one child. 
This daughter is now grown, and her husband is one of the pro- 
fessors in Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio. 

Stout's father had given him a good start in the world. His 
wife had been taught to disbelieve the Bible, and that all pro- 
fessors of religion were hypocrites. Their religious views were 




IOO 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AKD PLAIN. 



in harmony, as these suited their kind of life best. They seldom 
went to Church; but for some cause they attended two or three 
of these services, and became uneasy. The pastor sought an in- 
terview; but they avoided him. They were the leaders of "so- 
ciety," and fond of music and dancing. He played the fiddle 
for all of their gatherings. v She had the reputation of being a 
very fine dancer, To avoid the meetings, and to stifle their con- 
victions, they went off on a frolicsome tour for about two weeks, 
thinking by that time the meetings would be closed. Some way 
they did not enjoy themselves in these diversions as formerly; 
yet they had not the remotest idea of ever becoming Christians. 
They were too strong-minded for that. As soon as they re- 
turned, however, learning that several of their neighbors had 
been converted, and that the meetings were still going on, Mrs. 

S went around from house to house, working up a dance, 

with the hope of breaking up the meetings. She had never failed 
before. Why should she this time? And yet she did. Just then 
a question arose in their minds, If religion was as false as it had 
been represented to them, why had it gotten such a hold on this 
community? They determined to go and see for themselves. 
Something was wrong with them. They could not tell what. 
Every sermon seemed aimed at them alone! The preacher read 
their hearts as he would a book, they thought. One night 

Mr. S said to the minister: "You have knocked out the last 

prop to-night; go home with us." The invitation was gladly 
accepted. Very little was said to them on the subject of religion 

that night, as it was quite late. Mr. S remarked, with a 

deepdrawn sigh, on lighting his guest to bed, as he closed the 
door behind him, "O that this thing was over! My wife ha*s 
no feeling on the subject of religion. I do not want her to know 
that I have." A few encouraging words were uttered. How that 
preacher wrestled with God that night before retiring, that salva- 
tion might come to that house immediately! He was assured that 
it would, when he turned in and rested sweetly till morning. 
They were keeping their convictions from each other, each one 
ashamed to let the other know that there had been a weakening 
on former views and practices. The Spirit was at work in their 
hearts, and very little was said to them, except to pray with them. 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



IOI 



Under date of February 5, 1866, I read from the old diary: 
"James W. S and wife were converted to-day, while kneel- 
ing side by side at the altar of prayer, though neither knew that 
the other was there." 

The next morning Mrs. S handed the pastor Tom 

Paine's "Age of Reason," saying: "This was our Bible; we have 
no use for it now, having found something better." That morn- 
ing at the breakfast table, Mr. S said: "We have always 

gotten along very nicely in married life. Better than most per- 
sons. Now it seems as if we had been married over, so great 
is our happiness." The religion of Christ, sweetens the domestic 
relation. Her testimony in public a few days after was: "They 
need tell me no more that Christianity is untrue. I know for 
myself that it is true. Who would have thought that such a 
dancer as I was would ever bow at a mourners' bench or altar? 
No more dancing for me. As much as I have loved it, it is no 
longer a temptation to me. I have found something better. I 
find more solid comfort in religion in one short hour than in 
all of my life before." The concluding record is: "Forty-five con- 
versions. This was one of the best meetings of my life." 

From the diary I read again: "February 13th. — Meetings were 
begun in Bolivar." Seven days later, the entry says: "Meetings 
drag. Good attendance. Very quiet. O for more power!" 
"March 9th. — Closed in Bolivar. Nearly fifty saved. A very 
pleasant and profitable meeting." 

From March 12th to April 4th, meetings were conducted in 
Shanesville. Of this, the record says: "Over thirty conversions. 
A blessed meeting. Fourteen weeks of continuous revival effort." 
There were during these meetings about 140 conversions, mostly 
young or middle-aged people. The large majority remain stead- 
fast to this day. 

A meeting of one week was held in Dundee, with no apparent 
results. Here the "Disciples" had, for some years, had things 
their own way. One of this sect had drawn a former Methodist 
pastor into a controversy on the subject of immersion. The 
community thought the result was unfavorable to the latter gen- 
tleman. This gave the first-named society quite a "boost." 

One Sabbath as the present pastor was leaving the pulpit, 



102 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



some one handed him a slip of paper on which was written, 
"Please preach from Romans x, 14, 15, at your earliest conven- 
ience." The request was complied with October 7, 1866. There 
was no service at the "Disciple Church." The Methodist church 
was packed from door to pulpit. Subject of the discussion was: 
"A call to the ministry, as taught in the Holy Scriptures and be- 
lieved by the Methodist Episcopal Church." The following appli- 
cation sent the shaft home: "There are those who claim to preach 
a whole gospel, and yet declare they were never called of God to 
preach the Word. If God did not call them, who did? There 
are but two powers in the world influencing men, the good and 
the evil. Jesus taught his disciples to pray that the Lord of the 
harvest send forth more laborers into his vineyard. If God does 
not send them, who does?" That was the clincher. The "Dis- 
ciples Church" in that community has not prospered from that 
day to this, while the Methodist Church has steadily grown. 

January 10, 1867, another protracted-meeting was started 
in Dundee, which lasted for twenty-eight days. Deep conviction 
rested on the entire community. Two wicked men, during a 
Sabbath morning service, were so smitten by the truth that they 
fled from the house. They started from opposite sides of the 
church, and at the door ran against each other. Both fell flat 
to the floor; but, scrambling up, they managed to get out of the 
house. Both of these men afterward embraced the religion of 
Christ. A son of one of them accepted the Savior of sinners soon 
after the meeting closed, and has been preaching the gospel for 
over twenty-five years in the local ranks. The record says: 
"Eight souls were saved." 

A report reached the pastor that four physicians had decided 
that one of his members, who was seriously sick, could not live. 
She was the mother of a large family. He drove out to see her 
at once. The husband had just gone to town for medicine, which 
had been recommended, as the last resort. When the pastor 
entered the sick-room, she requested the attendants to leave the 
room for a few moments. They did so; but left the door ajar. 
In a feeble voice she said: "I want you to pray with me." He 
kneeled by her bedside, with no thought for what he should 
pray. The sight of those soon to be motherless children touched 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



I03 



his heart. He was led to ask for her recovery, if it was God's 
will. The burden became heavier. He then pleaded that she 
might be restored to health this moment; that God would now 
say to her, "Be ye healed." His faith grasped the promise, and 
held on until the assurance came that the request was granted. 
When the "Amen" was reached, she called those in the adjoin- 
ing room, who had been listening at the door, to come in, and 
told them God had healed her. Now she said: 'Tut up your 
horse and stay for supper. I will get up and prepare it for you." 
She would allow no assistance in dressing, or in getting the meal 
ready. She prepared the entire meal by herself, making biscuit 
and cooking other things. That was truly a joyous occasion. 
When her husband returned, he found his companion well and 
hearty. Many years after, she sent word to the writer that she 
was well, and still happy in God. Praise the Lord for his good- 
ness to the children of men! To him be all the glory! Amen! 

A year and three days after the close of the first meeting in 
Wilmot, as it was now called, a second meeting was begun. This 
one began February 13th, and ran for one month. This meeting 
was remarkable; not for the numbers, but for the class of per- 
sons reached. The wives of the leading business men first started 
out to seek God. They filled the large altar. Within a week 
they were saved, and boldly testified to all what a dear Savior 
they had found. Then every one of their husbands came to that 
same altar. One by one they accepted Christ. This went on 
until there was not an unsaved man in town outside of the 
Churches. 

Space forbids a lengthy description of the thrilling incidents 
of this revival. One day, while walking down street with a 
merchant who had been raised an unbeliever and appeared 
utterly indifferent to the subject of religion, the writer remarked, 
"I wish you enjoyed what we enjoy." "Jake" replied, "I do n't 
believe in those things." "You do n't!" was uttered very slowly, 
but emphatically. These were the only words that ever passed 
between the two on the subject of religion. The Sabbath before 
he had refused to go to Church with his wife and daughters. He 
shut himself in his room, and would scarcely speak to any of 
them. Such conduct alarmed his wife, who became very anxious 



io4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



about his soul's salvation. Consulting her pastor, they agreed 
to pray three times a day, in secret, until he should be converted. 

J. W was a tall, dignified, fine-appearing man, who lacked 

only the "one thing needful." A few nights after the above- 
mentioned agreement, he bowed at the altar with others and 
wept, as he earnestly prayed like any other sinner seeking his 
soul's salvation. After a short prayer service, the seekers were 
requested to occupy the front seats next the altar, which had 
been vacated for them. While the congregation was singing, 
the pastor, beginning on the right, conversed a moment with 
each seeker to ascertain where he stood religiously, and to sug- 
gest what was then most needful for him. 

J. W was the last one on the left of the altar. Just be- 
fore coming to him the pastor noticed that he straightened him- 
self up, wiped his eyes, and assumed a peculiar fixedness of 
countenance. That pastor's heart sank for a moment, saying to 
himself: "He has not got through. I fear he has given it up." 
With such thoughts in mind, he stooped to speak a few encour- 
aging words to him, intending to place one hand on his knee. 
Just as the longest finger of his right hand touched the cloth of 
J. W 's pants there descended upon each of them such a bap- 
tism of Divine power that J. W could not hold himself in 

check, but leaped as high as the bench, exclaiming: "I have got 
it! I have got it! Glory to God! My sins are forgiven! My 
sins are forgiven!" The dry eyes in that crowded church were 
very few. Afterward he said, "When I wiped my eyes I decided 
never to give up until I got it." That was why the blessing came. 
God always answers the prayer of faith, "and do n't you for- 
get it!" 

On God's appointed Sabbath, which, under the Christian dis- 
pensation, is Sunday, after the sermon, a recently-converted 
woman, who was a member of another Church, arose in the 
class-meeting, and spake in substance as follows: 

"God has blessed my soul. I am happy in him. I never knew 
this before. My husband opposes me. He threatens to turn 
me out of doors, and lock the door against me, so I shall not 
even see my children, if I continue to attend Methodist meetings. 
He suggested that if I did not desist, he would burn me alive." 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



She was in great distress as to the proper line of duty, and 
had come to the Church for sympathy and help. 

The class-leader, a man in quite moderate circumstances, 
and with a very large family, arose, and, addressing the weeping 
woman, said: "Sister M , come to my house. You are wel- 
come. As long as we have a loaf of bread, we will share it 
with you." 

"Blest be the tie that binds 

Our hearts in Christian love; 
The fellowship of kindred minds 

Is like to that above." — Hymnal, 797. 

was sung, when all joined in earnest prayer for the sobbing one, 
and prayed especially that God would intervene in her behalf, 
by converting her husband. It was thought advisable that she 
go first to her home, from which she supposed she had been 
thrust out forever. Two brethren followed close behind, to see 
that no bodily harm came to her. The front door was unlocked. 
She stepped quietly into the hall, the sitting-room door stood 
ajar, and looking through this she saw her husband kneeling by 
a chair, with the open Bible before him, praying for mercy. 
Quickly she dropped by his side, when he cried out, "Pray for 
me! God have mercy on my soul!" That little prayer service 

lasted until J. M was blessedly saved. She had no need now 

of the new home so generously offered her. They both became 
faithful members of the Church, which, under God, had been the 
means of their salvation. 

Two more incidents of God's work at Wilmot; and recollect, 
it was God's work. Man had very little to do with it. The meet- 
ings closed March 13, 1867. The preacher had spoken with much 
freedom from, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Ro- 
mans x, 10.) 

J. H was a member of a manufacturing firm. The last 

one unsaved. He had bolstered himself up on his honesty and 
morality. He w r as a superior man every way, quiet and unde- 
monstrative. For several days he had been confined at home with 
rheumatism. His wife had been a faithful Christian for years. 
When this service closed, he urged the preacher to go home with 



106 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

him, and would take no refusal. That pastor saw that there was 

a meaning to this, and therefore went. Seated by the fire, H 

said: "That sermon was for me alone. I see my difficulty." The 
preacher replied: "Then govern yourself accordingly. Let us 
pray." The prayer ended, being wearied with mental anxiety 
and the exhausting labors of the previous weeks, he asked "to 
be permitted to retire." He soon fell into a sweet slumber, and 
had a most delightful dream; namely, "that J. H was con- 
verted, and was the happiest man he ever saw." 

When consciousness returned, J. H had his arm around 

his neck, shaking him, and exclaiming: "Wake up! Wake up! 
God has blessed me. I wanted to tell you. I could not wait 
till morning. I must tell it. I can not keep it to myself." Then 

H paced the floor, to and fro, in the dark, praising the Lord 

with all his might. 

The next morning the pastor was informed that H , upon 

retiring, uttered this prayer, believing that God would hear and 
answer: "God, be merciful to me a sinner, for Christ's sake!" 
The next moment, like the lame man at the beautiful gate of the 
Temple who was healed, he went leaping and praising God from 
room to room through the house. His wife kept him from going 
upstairs until about midnight, when the pressure became so 
strong that he went. His joy was so great that it knew no 
bounds. Did his experience soon pass away? No! No! The 
exultant spirit quieted down into a tranquil state of mind, which 

became permanent. John H praised God that whole night. 

The next morning he went down town telling every one whom he 
met what God had done for him. He became a useful and active 
member of the Church of Jesus Christ, and so remains. 

In one of the day meetings, when all were on their knees 
during a season of prayer, there was a good deal of shouting 
among the sisters. It was impossible for the pastor to determine 
who had been distinctively blessed. This continued until the 
meeting for that day was closed. As the pastor walked down the 

aisle, he was greeted by Sister W , a modest, quiet widow 

lady, who had that day been sanctified wholly. Her face was 
radiant with joy. Said she: "I did not shout. It shouted itself." 
When God fills the heart, do not "quench the Spirit." 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



107 



There are those — some ministers even — in the Church who 
claim that such experiences, as above described, are ephemeral. 
These persons, though often high in authority, oppose the pre- 
senting of the altar. Some say: "That is well enough for the 
weak-minded; but the strong do not need it: they go to their 
closets, and there determine to serve God from that time for- 
ward." 

Other ministers feel called to show people their sins, and to 
point them to the remedy for sin, Jesus Christ; then urge an 
immediate decision, by coming out on the Lord's side, just as 
publicly as they have sinned. 

Which method is the most successful in leading men to 
Christ? Let the results answer. "The proof of the pudding is 
in the eating." The great majority of the active men and women 
in the Church to-day are those who were brought to Christ in 
revival effort. They are not the drones of the Church. Would 
that all of God's servants were flaming revivalists. May kind 
Heaven speed the day! 

The county paper of that date said: "Twenty-eight heads 
of families have been saved, the family altar erected, thirty sets 
of Whedon's Commentary introduced, besides an Advocate in 
nearly every family. Their experiences have the gospel ring to 
them. (1 Peter i, 8.) Church debts have been liquidated. The 
finances of the charge have all been met." 

Half-way between Bolivar and Wilmot was Sugar Creek 
Falls; which had become quite a place of resort in summer. 
This place had only a large hotel, schoolhouse, blacksmith-shop, 
and a few dwelling-houses. There were no religious services 
of any kind. So indifferent were the people, they would neither 
allow religious services to be held in the schoolhouse or in the 
hotel. An announcement was made for this writer to preach 
in the covered bridge, October 28, 1866, at half-past two P. M. 
The day was beautiful. The people came from far and near to 
hear that gospeler proclaim the truth, from Daniel v, 27. The 
line of argument was largely that of Butler's "Analogy," com- 
paring the religion of nature with that of revelation. Among 
the hundreds present were a number of unbelievers, for whose 
benefit the discourse was especially delivered. After a full dis- 



I08 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

cussion of the theme, an opportunity was given for any one to 
refute what had been said. The doubters and quibblers who 
were gathered in the far end of the bridge slunk away out of 
sight as soon as possible, and made no attempt to defend their 
negations. They were never heard of afterward. 

May i, 1867, closed a discussion had by the author with a 
Universalist preacher of Bolivar, who had made all the arrange- 
ments for the debate before his opponent knew a word of it, 
announcing even time, place, and subject! This man had poi- 
soned the minds of the people, young and old, by his preaching 
against the orthodox faith as to future rewards and punishments. 

Drawn into the controversy through such methods, the writer 
felt, to back out would be cowardice; and it would look to those 
outside of the Church that Universalism was in the right. Much 
as he disliked discussion, there seemed no alternative but to go 
ahead. For two nights they debated the question, "Does the 
Bible teach the doctrine of endless future punishment?" Mr. 

C denied, while the other affirmed. The speeches were each 

a half-hour long, and each debate lasted two hours. The house 

was very much crowded. Mr. C was a pleasant talker and 

an adept controversialist, while his opponent had never discussed 
the subject before, and was also very much the younger man. 
It is enough to say that the last word was scarcely uttered, when 

C and his adherents fled from the house. Two weeks after, 

when the pastor returned from holding a protracted-meeting else- 
where, he learned that C had been very sick, having been 

taken ill the evening the debate closed. So far as the writer 

knows, C was never known to preach Universalism afterward ; 

their society was entirely broken up in Bolivar, and orthodoxy 
had a clear field afterward. There is nothing like "bearding the 
lion in his den," and "defending the faith once delivered to the 
saints." 

There lived near W , David D , a man owning four 

farms, well stocked with horses, sheep, cattle, and with money 
at interest. He lived a miserly life, excluding himself from the 
society of his fellows, went ragged and slovenly in appearance. 
Had no family. One day he returned from town with a new suit 
of clothes, saying to his neighbors, "Now I am going to quit 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



109 



work and enjoy life." Alas! how frail are human calculations! 
In less than two months after, he was thrown from a mowing- 
machine (July 1, 1867), and had an arm and leg severed. He 
lived only a half-hour. The first time he wore that new suit of 
clothes was when he was buried! 

Near S lived P K , talented and wealthy; but a 

hater of God, of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Bible. 
He talked, lectured, wrote and published books and tracts against 
the Savior and the Sacred Scriptures, circulating them freely 
wherever he could. His influence for evil had been very great 
in all that country for years. The writer passed his residence the 
third day after his decease. From a near neighbor, and from 
members of his household, he learned facts concerning his death 
as given below. His death-bed beggars description. He clinched 
his teeth, blood spurted from each nostril, while he cried, "Hell! 
Hell! Hell! Hell!" with a terror that no pen can describe. A 
neighbor declared that he heard him a quarter of a mile away. 
His family could not endure the agony of that death-scene. They 
fled to an adjoining wood across the road, and there remained 
among the trees until all became quiet at home. One by one 
they ventured back, to find husband and father cold in death. 
He literally had been left to die alone, abandoned of God and 
of man. 

Some members of his family were converted before that 
"death-bed scene," and the remainder have been since. They 
felt that "if that is the way infidels die, we want none of it in 
ours." One grandson has been preaching and singing the gospel 
for a quarter of a century. 

The second Conference year closed auspiciously, and the 
unanimous request of all, in and out of the Church, was that their 
pastor be returned for the third year, as the law of the Church 
had now been extended to three years. The pastor w T as equally 
anxious to be returned. At the Conference, his presiding elder 
requested that he consent to be removed to an adjoining charge, 
which had asked for him. He found it hard to give up his spir- 
itual children, and not be permitted to give them nourishing food, 
best calculated to make "stalwart" Christians. After due deliber- 
ation and much prayer, he said to his elder, "Do with me as 



no 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



you deem wise and best for the glory of God." This was the 
second time in fourteen years that he had been consulted on that 
subject. 

No more was known until the bishop announced his name 
after that of his next appointment. 

Canal Dover was a half-station, with preaching there every 
Sabbath morning. One afternoon, services were held at Old- 
town, and the next at Goshen and Trenton. 

This was an exceedingly pleasant charge every way. Salary 
and perquisites amounted to about one thousand a year. It had 
a good seven-room parsonage in which to live, and a most hos- 
pitable people to serve. Is it any wonder that the pastor and his 
family felt at home from the very start? 

. After getting moved and settled, on the third Sabbath after- 
noon, September 22, 1867, a son one year old, the youngest of 
the family, who bore the name of Dempsey Dempster, passed 
away. From two weeks old he had been a sufferer. On account 
of this, he was very near to his parents' hearts. His remains 
were interred beside his brother and sister in ''The Maple Grove 
Cemetery," near Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio. God's grace 
alone is sufficient in an hour like this. Mere words are empty 
things, for none can know what it means to bury their offspring, 
until they have passed through a like experience. 

"One by one the stars were lighted; 
'One by one the roses fall;' 
One by one our prayers indited; 
Only one God over all. 

One by one we lose our jewels; 

One by one have spirits flown; 
One by one bright crowns are gathered 

By the just before the throne. 

One by one bright angel singers 

Thrill their music in my ear; 
And, in dreams of yonder city, 

Well-known voices oft I hear. 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



1 1 1 



One by one my days are gliding 
Toward an unknown, boundless sea; 

Angel bands I see up yonder: 

Lo! their white hands beckon me." 

—J. W. Carhart, D. D. 

Rev. Joseph Kennedy, presiding elder, dedicated a new neat 
church, free of debt, at Oldtown, November 10, 1867. This 
church was largely due to the labors of Rev. G. W. Ball, my 
predecessor, who always did superior work wherever he was sent. 

Protracted-meetings were begun December 26, 1867, and 
ended March 15, 1868: Upper Oldtown, two weeks; Lower Old- 
town, two weeks; Goshen, two and one-half weeks; Trenton, two 
weeks; and Canal Dover, eleven days. As a part of the visible 
results, twenty-three were added to the Church. 

About this time A. M. Collins lectured in Canal Dover on 
the temperance question for several nights. The rum power 
was thoroughly aroused. He must be put out of the way. At 
the midnight hour he was dragged from his room, beaten over 
the head, and hustled off for the canal. A terrific thunderstorm 
was raging at the time. The lightning flashes were appalling. 
By some "hook or crook," as they ran in the darkness between 
the flashes, they struck a tree, their grip was loosened, and he 
escaped to a place of safety. 

The next evening a county temperance convention met in 
Union Hall, New Philadelphia. Collins was to speak; but his 
bruises and nervous condition were such that he could say but 
a few words. The pastor at Canal Dover was called upon to 
take his place. This was the beginning of a quarter of a cen- 
tury of solid temperance work. 

At the dawn of the second year a new church was dedicated 
on Goshen Hill. The apparent results of this year's labor were 
seventy additions to the Church, including the members of the 
new society organized at Lockport. In Dover the meeting lasted 
for nearly two months, and at Tockport for twenty-five days. 
Lockport was a small town on the canal between New Phila- 
delphia and Oldtown, without Church or Sunday-school of any 
denomination, and given up to all manner of vice. 
8 



112 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Dover pastor, having to pass through that place every 
Sabbath afternoon, determined to hold a protracted-meeting in 
the schoolhouse, if it could be had. His request was granted; 
about thirty were converted, a class organized, a Sunday-school 
started, and a church-building erected during the next year. 

Near the last night of the meeting, a little girl ten years old 
and a man seventy-four bowed at the ''mourners' bench," side 
by side. They were there but a short time when the pastor asked 
each how it was with them. The younger replied: "I have peace 
within. I do love Jesus." 

The other had been a Universalist all his life, and had delved 
in nearly all manner of vice. His reply was: "I am too great a 
sinner to be saved. Do you think Jesus will have mercy on my 
soul? The gospel never got hold of me before." He was en- 
couraged to believe in the Divine promise then and there, for a 
present salvation. In a moment he took hold of God in Jesus 
Christ, when he declared to all "that his sins had been forgiven." 
The next morning the pastor called at his home, and found him 
praising God, using expressions like this: "I am so happy." He 
was instructed and prayed with. That old man's "joy was un- 
speakable and full of glory." We have no room to insert any 
more incidents of these meetings. 

Upton C. Deardorff was the recording steward, and a better 
one a Church never need to have. Daniel Hildt made an effi- 
cient Sunday-school superintendent. His daughter Fidelia, a 
graduate of the Female College of Delaware, was the organist, 
and had charge of the music. For years she has been Mrs. 
W. H. DeWitt, M. D., of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati. 

Rev. Wesley B. Farrah, when on this charge, received Jonas 
Warner, wife, and some of their children into the Church. This 
meant for Methodism a great deal more than either of them 
knew, or suspected, at the time. 

Jonas Warner was the class-leader at Goshen Hill, but lived 
nearer Trenton. Before his conversion he was a firm believer 
in the doctrine of universal salvation. God permitted affliction 
to enter his home. Below is given a brief statement of its result, 
as related by him in June, 1868, and then recorded: "My girl, 
five years old, was taken ill. Two weeks of watching and of 



ITINERANCY CONTINUED. 



anxiety followed. My heart sank when we laid her body in the 
grave. I then looked down, without hope; not up, as I do now. 
Then I turned to God full of skepticism. He took another before 
I yielded to be saved." He became an earnest, conscientious 
Christian, as did his entire family. Neither he nor his eldest son 
Jesse believed in shouting. It was a senseless enthusiasm, that 
should be kept under control like they did. In one of the day- 
meetings in Trenton the Holy Spirit came upon them in a mighty 
shower. O! what a change there was! They praised the Lord 
with all their might. Such shouting, clapping of hands, stamp- 
ing of feet, and parading up and down the aisles, and from one 
side of the church to the other, the people had never witnessed 
before. The gust of praise lasted for fully an hour. Brother 
Warner became very hoarse, while his son literally stamped the 
soles off his boots. His father had to purchase him a new pair 
before going home. They were never afterward heard to utter 
a word against shouting. Brother Warner, after equipping each 
of his sons with a liberal education, gave them to the ministry 
of the Church of his choice. Jesse went early from labor to re- 
ward. Millard, his second son, after years in the pastorate, is 
now president of Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio. The other 
two are doing pastoral work in the North Ohio Conference. 

Thomas J. Frazier, for many years steward, class-leader, and 
trustee, was one of God's noblemen ; died in great triumph, sing- 
ing near the last, 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me." 



When the Mists Have Cleared Away* 



When the mists have rolled in splendor 

From the beauty of the hills, 
And the sunshine, warm and tender, 

Falls in kisses on the rills, 
We may read love's shining letter 

In the rainbow of the spray, — 
We shall know each other better 

When the mists have cleared away : 
We shall know as we are known, 
Nevermore to walk alone, 
In the dawning of the morning, 

When the mists have passed away* 

If we err in human blindness, 

And forget that we are dust, 
If we miss the law of kindness, 

When we struggle to be just, 
Snowy wings of peace shall cover 

All the pains that cloud our day, 
When the weary watch is over 

And the mists have cleared away: 
We shall know as we are known, 
Nevermore to walk alone, 
In the dawning of the morning, 

When the mists have cleared away. 

When the silvery mists have veiled us 

From the faces of our own, 
Oft we deem their love has failed us, 

And we tread our path alone ; 
We should see them near and truly, 
We should trust them day by day, 
Neither love nor blame unduly, 
If the mists were cleared away: 
We shall know as we are known, 
Nevermore to walk alone, 
In the dawning of the morning, 

When the mists have cleared away»" 
114 



PART II. 



Echoes from Army Life. 

"5 



A Kind of Man. 



t^* 

I like a man who all mean things despises, 
A man who has a purpose firm and true? 

"Who faces every doubt as it arises, 

And murmurs not at what he finds to do. 

I like a man who shows the noble spirit 

Displayed by knights of Arthur's table round; 

"Who, face to face with life, proves his real merit, 
Who has a soul that dwells above the ground. 

And yet, one who can understand the worry 
Of some chance brother fallen in the road, 

And speaks to him a kind word 'mid the hurry, 
Or lays an easing hand upon his load. 

Large-hearted, brave-souled men to-day are needed, 
Men ready when occasion's doors swing wide; 

Grand men, to speak the counsel that is heeded, 
And men in whom a nation may confide. 

The world is wide, and broad its starry arches, 
But lagging malcontents it can not hold ; 

The way of life to him who upright marches 
Has ending in a far-off street of gold. 

—Meredith Nicholson 

116 



OFF TO THE; ARMY.* 

One day, while conversing with a Christian gentleman at his 
own home, he inquired: "Why do you not go to the army, and 
labor for the sick and wounded soldiers? You are the very man 
for the position." The matter was urged until I consented to 
write and ascertain if my services were needed. In a few days 
the reply came from the secretary of the United States Christian 
Commission, at Cincinnati, Ohio: "Come at once, and we will 
send you forward to the army." 

The necessary arrangements were quickly made, and farewells 
said. December 8, 1864, found me on train en route for the front. 
On the cars were soldiers going to and coming from the army. 
Some had been home on sick-leave, and were returning to their 
regiments; while others were being transferred from one portion 
of the army to another. The depot floor at Columbus, Ohio, 
was covered with soldiers sleeping on the hard plank, with their 
knapsacks for pillows, and with their guns beside them. 

Cincinnati was reached in the early morning of the 9th. At 
the office of the United States Christian Commission I received 
my "commission" and badge. This last was in form not unlike 
a breastpin, tinged with silver, and inscribed, "U. S. Christian 
Commission." This badge enabled the wearer to pass guards, 
enter hospitals, barracks, and prisons. Should any question the 
right, "the commission" was to be shown. The side book was 
for noting facts and incidents. If anything shall be said to profit 
or please in these jottings, it will, in the main, be due to the 
scribblings in this book. The evening boat was taken for Louis- 
ville, Ky., one hundred and fifty miles below on the Ohio River. 

On board were men representing all classes, conditions, busi- 
ness, and divisions of human society; as judges, lawyers, phy- 

* These jottings are mostly selected from published correspondence just after 
the war closed, which will exhibit more clearly the character of the work, and the 
need as well, for the helpful presence of this organization. The incidents, con- 
flicts, and sufferings are described as seen at the time. 

117 



Il8 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

sicians, divines, farmers, mechanics, merchants, speculators, sol- 
diers, citizens, sailors, landsmen, refined and unrefined, moral 
and immoral, gentlemen and loafers. Cards were plenty, and, I 
am sorry to state, were freely used by the fairer sex. From the 
piles of money, I should judge that gambling formed a part of 
the program. Profanity and drinking were indulged in by not a 
few; they usually go together, and are the handmaidens of the 
same destiny, which is hell. This motley group did not retire 
until a late hour of night. 

The morning light found me, with valise in hand, seeking the 
Commission rooms in Louisville, to secure assignment for the 
special duty awaiting me. The Christian Commission work 
consisted in visiting barracks, camps, prisons, and hospitals ; dis- 
tributing small books, papers, tracts, Testaments; caring for the 
sick and wounded, and preaching to the boys as opportunity 
offered. 

As a rule, delegates remained six weeks, without fee or re- 
ward, except the consciousness of having done their duty, and 
the "God bless you" of grateful men. A few remained longer, 
and received a small salary. 

New Albany, Indiana, is on the opposite side of the river, just 
below the falls or rapids of the Ohio, and about four miles from 
Louisville, which is at the head of the rapids. Here there were 
a number of hospitals located. I was assigned to them, and 
entered on my labor at once. In company with another delegate, 
having filled our haversacks with Testaments, hymn-books, pa- 
pers, etc., we set out for Hospital No. 4, i/hich was a large brick 
building, formerly used as a female seminary. What scenes of 
suffering met our gaze! We go from ward to ward, conversing 
briefly with each, learning his wants, and supplying them as far 
as we were able. One said, "The Commission did much for me 
in New Orleans." One man was wounded in the thigh and arm. 
In sympathy, I remarked, "The Johnnies served you rather 
meanly." The answer exhibited the pluck of most wounded men: 
"I '11 give it to them again when I get well." Before we get near 
through, a messenger calls us to the cot of one who is dying. 
Counsel is given, prayer offered, and we hasten to the cots of 
others who need our instructions and ask our aid. 



OFF TO THE ARMY. 



119 



At noon our supply is gone, but we go to Hospital No. 6, 
where nearly six hundred badly wounded men demand our at- 
tention. We took separate wards, and passed through them. 
From my side book I select the following, which will give some 
idea of the. needs and wants of the soldiers at that time and place: 

L. W wanted a pair of crutches; one would do W. H. H ; 

M. G desired a blanket, as his had been stolen; S. B. G 

wished a bottle of blackberry brandy and a can of peaches; J. W. 

S would be suited with blackberry syrup; another desires 

something that he can eat; No. 964 (the number on his card 
being at the head of his bed) wants pen, pencil, postage stamps, 
and a French Testament; another desires a transfer to Columbus, 

Ohio; D. A. M thinks port-wine and a can of peaches would 

do him good; while G. M is satisfied if he gets a German 

Testament; H. R wants a pair of mittens; C. D. G 

a handkerchief and gloves; J. J is almost dead for the want 

of some tobacco; J. B calls for a Testament, and others ask 

for paper and envelopes. Many desired the same thing; all de- 
sired something to read. I have given a variety, so that the reader 
may see the amount and kind of work the Commission had 
to do in meeting and supplying their demands. 

Sabbath morning came. I went to the Soldiers' Home, — a 
long, narrow room, in which were three stoves, with little fire 
in either, and a cold, piercing wind without. In this uncomfort- 
able and unpleasant room, I found nearly two hundred mechanics, 
who were on their way to Nashville, kept back under guard, to 
send forward more soldiers. Some were playing cards; a few 
were quietly reading their Testaments, or humming some familiar 
hymn; while the rest amused themselves in other ways. Few 
seemed to notice me, and those who did said nothing. I quietly 
studied the men and their methods of amusement for a half-hour 
or more, when I summoned courage to speak to a clever-looking 
fellow from the north of Michigan, or some other place in that 
region, who went to the different squads huddled around the 
stoves, and announced that a "U. S. C." man had come to preach 
to them. Said they, ''Is it possible that any one thinks enough 
of us to hunt us up in this God-forsaken place." I mounted 
an old, greasy cracker-box, midway between the stoves, and 



120 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



announced that I would preach and give them something good 
to read, that would remind them of loved ones at home. I gave 
out some soldiers' hymn-books. The services consisted (the or- 
gan was the cold wind whistling through the crevices of the 
building) of singing, prayer, text, sermon, and benediction. They 
sang "Am I a soldier of the Cross, a follower of the Lamb?" with 
a will. Tears fell from many eyes. Papers were distributed, and 
a hearty shake of the hand, responded to with a "God bless you 
for conducting these services." 

I then returned to the United States Commission rooms for 
refreshments. Dinner was scarcely over when in came the hos- 
pital steward of the R. C. Wood, a steamboat which had just 
arrived, and reported that it had on board three hundred sick 
and wounded men in great need of supplies. They also desired 
religious services. In company with a gentleman from Boston, 
I hastened to the liver, went on board, saw the captain, and got 
permission to preach in the center of the boat, the soldiers mostly 
lying on their cots. When the short services were over, we went 
from cot to cot, distributing reading-matter and conversing with 
the men. Here lies a poor fellow, nearly gone, with a family far 
away. I asked, "How are you to-day?" "No better," was his 
reply. "Do you love Jesus? Is he precious to your soul?" The 
tears started as he answered, "Yes." O how my heart yearned 
over him! In my note-book, at the close of that day's work, I 
read these words: "A glorious Sabbath. At home in my work. 
Hallelujah, praise God!" 

December 12th and 13th visited the hospitals in New Albany, 
the floating hospital, and the hospital boat, where were similar 
scenes to those described above. Just as I was becoming habitu- 
ated to my work, and attached to the "boys," an order came for 
me to report without delay at Nashville, Tennessee. 

On the morning of December 14th, long before light, all were 
astir at the Commission rooms. The cold, chilly blasts of winter 
were whirling without. The snow lay in heaps along the streets. 
In the early morning, I bade adieu to my new-made friends, and 
started for the Nashville Depot, seeking transportation to the 
"Rock City" of the South, which, by the way, was no easy task 
at the time. A battle was impending. Thousands were eager to 



OFF TO THE ARMY, 



121 



go. Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, wives, and friends were 
anxious to reach the front, that they might see their loved ones, 
care for them as no others could, or wipe the cold, damp sweat 
from their brow before they were mustered out of the service 
and discharged "from this war." 

To secure a seat in the cars each must have a pass from the 
commandant of the post certifying to his loyalty, and a permit 
to pass the guards without arrest. Each car was guarded, with 
from two to five soldiers at the door, and an officer to examine 
the passes. If memory serves me correctly, three cars were 
allotted to officers, soldiers, and civilians. The rear car was re- 
served exclusively for ladies and officers who had their wives 
or sisters with them; the second for officers and gentlemen not 
immediately connected with the army, and perhaps a few laborers 
were allowed in this car; but the third was packed with officers 
returning to their regiments, with two exceptions. When each 
seat became filled, no more were allowed to enter, no matter how 
urgent the case. 

Unfortunately for us, the cars were full, or nearly so, when we 
reached them. I use the term "we" to include a Congregational 
minister from Western Ohio, who was my associate. We pre- 
sented ourselves to the guard of the rear car. With the bayonet 
at our breast, he replied, "This car is full; no admittance, sir!" 
At the second, "Not an empty seat, sir; pass on!" At the third, 
the same repulse met us; but the guard seeing our badges, and 
knowing who we were and what our mission was, remarked in a 
low tone, "See the officer in command of this car ; perhaps he will 
admit you; there is one vacant seat." A moment before the train 
was leaving, the officer was found, our passes examined, and 
there being no mistake, the guard conducted us to the vacant 
seat in the forward end of the third car. Scarcely were we seated 
when the long train began slowly to move, while hundreds were 
left disappointed, having failed to get on board. As we left the 
depot our cogitations were not of the most pleasant kind. The 
prospect was dark before us ; we were to pass through an enemy's 
country; guerrilla bands were numerous; the enemy had Nash- 
ville by the throat, gloating over their victory at Franklin. 

He may have crossed the Cumberland River either above or 



122 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



below Nashville, where our forces lay, and hurried northward 
to intercept our trip, cut off our retreat, tear up the railroad 
track, capture us as prisoners of war, and convey us to some 
filthy den of the South, there to starve and die. Then, again, 
our loved ones were all behind us, far away among the rural hills 
of Ohio. We might see them no more. These were some of our 
thoughts as we journeyed southward. Yet we did not forget 
that there was One who neither slumbers nor sleeps, in whom we 
could and did confide all our interests for time and eternity, be- 
lieving that "He doeth all things well." 

As the rising sun pushed back the gloom of night, I took a 
survey of those who were to be our associates for the entire day. 
What an appalling scene met my gaze! From what I had read 
in history, I thought and imagined that army officers were al- 
ways perfect gentlemen. Here were large and small men — from 
colonels down to second lieutentants — the most of them in all 
shades of drunkenness. A few continued their drinking, having 
brought bottles with them. One would judge, from their low 
slang, that they had come from the most abandoned places of the 
city, where debauchery reigned supreme. Their faces were red 
and bloated, eyes inflamed; while many could scarcely sit, much 
less stand. Their minds were so bethrottled with rum that their 
tongues moved just about as glibly as an army wagon after a 
defeat. They spent all the former part of the day — when they 
were not sleeping and snoring like a steam-engine on an upgrade 
with a heavy train — playing cards, passing their bottles, and puff- 
ing cigars to keep up their spirits, and make them courageous. 
I said, Can it be possible that these are the men that govern our 
forces, on whose word the lives and destinies of our boys hang? 
A little time in the service soon convinced me, however, that 
these were no fair representation of the army. In soldier par- 
lance, they and all like them were called "bummers" drones and 
leeches upon the Government; caring mostly for their fat salaries 
and the continuance of the war. 

For thirty-four miles we pass over what is called the lowlands 
of Kentucky. At Colesburg we arrive at the foot of Muldraugh's 
Hill. Here we begin to ascend the ranges of hills which bring 
us to the highlands of Kentucky. The ascent of the railroad 



OFF TO THE ARMY. 



123 



is up a grade of eighty feet to the mile for a distance of nearly 
five miles, thus giving an aggregate rise of about three hundred 
and fifty feet. The first object of interest in the ascent is the 
large trestle which crosses the ravine through which flows the 
principal branch of Clear Creek. This can be seen from the train 
as it winds around a few more sharp curves; a second trestle- 
work is thrown across a second ravine of great depth. Both of 
these were totally destroyed by John Morgan in December, 1862. 
Almost before we have finished our observations of these works, 
with their military defenses, the train enters a tunnel, which ex- 
tends 1,500 feet through the heart of Muldraugh's Hill. Emerg- 
ing from the darkness of the tunnel, the traveler finds himself 
in a new country. Instead of the bleak, bald knobs, which a 
moment before surrounded him, he is now on the table-land o£ 
the State, and in as rich a district as the State can boast. The 
plain stretches out right and left in magnificent proportions. 
With an occasional hill, these undulating, beautiful plains extend 
southward for one hundred and thirteen miles, until we cross the 
State-line of Tennessee. After passing through two small tun- 
nels, we descended to the Valley of the Cumberland, thirty-three 
miles from the capital of Tennessee. From the foot of these hills 
we pass over a most delightful, rolling country. John Morgan 
nearly destroyed these tunnels by running into them a train of 
cars loaded with wood, setting the whole on fire, and so heating 
the rocks that large masses fell upon the track. It took over 
three months of incessant labor to repair the damages. The 
scarrings of battle mark every step of our progress. The scarcity 
of houses, houseless chimneys, deserted fields, deep trenches, and 
elevated breastworks frequently meet the gaze as we rush on to 
our destined place, one hundred and eighty-five miles distant. 
The rebels at one time, September 7, 1861, made a raid on Shep- 
pardsville, and captured eighty-five men belonging to a home 
guard regiment from Indiana. Salt River bridge, close by, was 
destroyed by John Morgan in one of his raids. At Bardstown 
Junction a skirmish occurred in the afternoon of September 19, 
1861. At Long Lick, a small stream crossing the railroad a few 
yards south of the Junction, John Morgan captured a two days* 
mail and a heavy train of passengers, on July 6th, previous to his 



124 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



disastrous invasion of Indiana and Ohio. The rebels destroyed 
the Rolling Fork bridge, and retreated to Muldraugh's Hills on 
the opposite side. General Sherman determined to dispossess 
them. At sunrise on September 22d, he addressed the troops, 
saying: "We cross this ford, never to return. Our course lies 
straight before us, and our duty is to press forward." On the 
command to advance being given, Colonel Rousseau rose in his 
saddle, and crying to his men, the 5th Kentucky, "Follow me, 
boys! I expect no soldiers to undergo any hardships that I will 
not share," he sprang from his horse, and waded to the other 
shore. His men followed with cheers. The battle of Elizabeth- 
town occurred on December 27, 1862, between Morgan's cavalry 
and the 91st Illinois Infantry, in which the latter surrendered 
after two hours' fighting. At Munfordville, the rifle-pits, once 
occupied by our forces, were seen. After a hard fought battle in 
September, 1862, they surrendered to General Bragg. At Row- 
lett's Station another battle was fought in December, 1861. Our 
forces were victorious. 

At Cave City, a city only in name, for it has only a tavern 
and two or three eating-houses, we stop a half-hour for dinner. 
This place is eighty-four miles from Louisville. As we leave 
Cave City, for a few miles the country is a little hilly; but long 
before we reach Bowling Green it assumes its wonted loveliness. 
This place was evacuated on the fall of Fort Donelson, and occu- 
pied by General Mitchell, of the Union army, February 15th. 
We had only left Bowling Green when the conductor came to me, 
and said, in a low tone of voice: "Hood's cavalry are making for 
this train; we are liable to be thrown from the track any moment, 
fired upon, and captured. Forty miles, and we are safe. If it is 
possible to head them, it will be done; lay low." He had scarcely 
left when an officer stepped up — while the train swept on at al- 
most lightning speed — and wished to know if there was any dan- 
ger. After a moment's hesitation, I replied as above, when all 
swearing ceased, cards were thrown out of the window, bottles 
were dispensed with, conversation stopped, and such squatting, 
twisting, and turning, coiling up in every possible shape so as to 
avoid the range of the windows, no man ever saw before! The 
cars would occasionally jostle some fellow out of his seat, and 



OFF TO THE ARMY. 



then came a nice adjusting of affairs. Many countenances hitherto 
very flushed, turned deathly pale. On reaching Gallatin, Ten- 
nessee, thirty-nine miles from Bowling Green and twenty-six 
from Nashville, the conductor came back, and said, "Thank God, 
we are safe; the gauntlet has been run at a fearful rate!" Here 
several battles have been fought. Just as night encircled us, we 
entered the Union Depot at Nashville. In the darkness we are 
passing through the narrow, crowded streets of the capital of 
Tennessee, hunting the rooms of the United States Christian 
Commission, where we are welcomed to a hearty supper of mush 
and molasses. There were present at our evening devotions 
twenty-five or more delegates. At the close an officer entered, 
and handed Brother Smith, the field agent in charge, a letter, and 
retired: "The battle will open to-morrow morning at eight 
o'clock, unless Hood attacks us before. Send all your men to 
the field to assist in caring for the wounded." This was heard 
with feelings that were indescribable. I wrapped up in a blanket, 
and lay down upon the floor to rest as best I could. Long before 
day all were astir, preparing to do their part in the impending 
conflict. The streets were crowded the latter part of the night 
with men, horses, ambulances, caissons, and wagons, all moving 
on to unknown destiny. 



II. 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF 
NASHVILLE. 

First Day. — As we journeyed southward, the icy grasp of 
winter was gradually unloosing its hold, so that when we reached 
the city it seemed more like spring than winter. The streets and 
ground everywhere were covered with mud, which was more like 
a mortar-bed than anything we can think of. 

Nashville stands on the south bank of the Cumberland River, 
which, in passing the city, runs from east to west, making a little 
to the southward as it winds on its course. The river is a very 
deep, ugly stream to cross. The banks are so steep and high 
that it is not unlike a canal. 

Halve an apple, lay the flat surface downward, and you have 
a correct idea of the ground, or limestone rock, on which Nash- 
ville stands. Encircling the city, like a horseshoe, is a low 
hollow. The ground, when there is any, or rock, gradually rises 
from this ravine and from the river until it culminates in a bald 
knob. On this summit the capitol stands. Its base is above the 
cone of the roofs of most of the surrounding buildings. Its size 
is 240 by 135 feet, and is built of fine limestone, much like marble, 
which was quarried on the spot. Its cost was about $1,000,000 
It can be seen at many miles distance on all approaches to the 
city, and from any part of Rock City itself. 

Beyond this ravine the ground gradually rises, until it forms 
a range of hills, on the east about one-half a mile, on the south 
and west three miles, from the city. On this broad plateau of 
ground the army of General Thomas lay previous to the battle 
of Nashville. Between these hills, roads — or pikes, as they are 
called — lead out of the city. On their highest points forts were 
erected, and along their entire length of about seven miles were 
breastworks and rifle-pits. On the east, between Murfreesboro 
and Franklin pikes, and nearest the city, Fort Negley was erected 
on the most prominent one. This hill was once covered with a 
beautiful forest; now hardly a tree is left standing, and only the 

£26 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 12 7 

heavy earthwork of the great fort is visible, covering the summit. 
The fort is a huge bastion, faced with stone, and looks invul- 
nerable. 

To the right of the Franklin Pike is Fort Confiscation, a 
smaller work of similar make. Fort Emancipation is to the 
south and west of the above, and to the left of Hardin Pike. The 
three forts, thus connected, form a large triangle, and with their 
huge guns were prepared to defend the cause of the Union. On 
other elevations batteries were placed. From these hills the 
ground breaks off abruptly in many places, and in others slopes 
off gradually, forming an extended valley and rolling country 
in most directions for four or five miles in extent; when on the 
south and to the right and west of the Franklin Pike, another 
range of hills is encountered, higher than those already described. 

On these hills and valleys the battle was fought. The Union 
forces with their base on the first; while the Rebels rested on the 
second, and the uneven ground between was the scene of the 
struggle. 

Patches of woodland and cultivated fields, meadows, and pas- 
tures were interspersed over this area. An occasional brook 
meandered along its useful course, its crystal waters unbroken, 
except by sporting trout. 

The morning of December 15, 1864, was warm, calm, and 
balmy. Clouds obscured the sun, except at times, when it shone 
only for a moment; then hiding itself, refused to look upon the 
dreadful scenes of the approaching day. In the early morning 
I was wondering how and where the battle would commence. 
Our haversacks were packed with lint, bandages, dried beef and 
crackers, etc. About six o'clock I stood on the porch of one of 
the elegant residences, three squares southeast of the Capitol, 
waiting for my companions, when suddenly I exclaimed, "What 
sound is that I hear?'' The earth fairly trembled, the houses 
shook, the glass rattled in the windows; and stepping into the 
yard, I saw columns of smoke rising from Fort Negley. The 
booming of cannon was so incessant, for one-half hour that we 
could not distinguish the sounds. "Ah!" said I, "she is uttering 
the notes of freedom, and no compromise with traitors." 

Each one seized his hat, swung his haversack over his shoul- 
9 



128 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



der, and was off, through mud over ankle-deep, to hunt up the 
Second Division, to which we were assigned. My first effort 
was to find the 51st Ohio Regiment, as I had special messages 
from fathers, mothers, sisters, and wives, to several of our boys. 
After the battle might be too late. We passed up close to the 
guns of Negley, and then crossed over to the "Ackland Place"— 
a magnificent residence, formerly occupied as the headquarters 
of the 4th Corps — hoping there to learn where we could find the 
object of our search. 

Infantry cover the left as far as we can see. In our front, fac- 
ing the west, the whole valley is covered with cavalry just com- 
mencing to move out around yonder mound to the westward, to 
turn the left flank of the enemy. Acres on acres are covered with 
men, horses, wagons, caissons, and ambulances. An hour after, 
scarcely a man or horse is to be seen. They have passed beyond 
the breastworks, and are engaging the enemy. About seven 
o'clock I found the 51st. I pass along the line, and take each 
of my acquaintances by the hand, conveying words of sympathy 
from their loved ones at home. They were just ready to move 
out on the field of carnage. I walked with them until we came 
to a narrow gap in the breastworks, which had been built of logs 
and dirt. At this point the works were about eight feet high. 
The opening was so narrow that a man could barely squeeze 
through. The commanding officer forbade my going any fur- 
ther; but I wanted to see which way the boys went, and what 
they did ; so I mounted the breastworks, and saw them file a little 
to the left and lie flat on the ground, awaiting further orders. 
While standing there on the topmost log the enemies' bullets 
whizzed thick and fast around me. I had not the remotest idea 
they were firing at me; yet I could see men, here and there, in 
the distance leaning against trees firing in my direction. Why 
should they shoot me? I had never done them any harm. I 
had no thought of danger as I stood there, and watched the 
movements of troops getting ready for the encounter. Suddenly 
I felt some one tugging away at my coat-tail, and looking down 
I saw an orderly, who said; "Chaplain, you had better get down 
from there; the enemy's sharpshooters will pick you off." I 
replied: "I guess not. They are not shooting at me." In a firm 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 



129 



voice he responded, "General Cox says you must come down." 
"If that is the order, I suppose I must comply," when I clam- 
bered down. Then it was I noticed, in the rear a short distance, 
a squad of horsemen, dismounted, with no insignia of rank about 
them. They wore the simple uniform of the common soldier. 
The orderly took me back, and introduced me to General Cox, 
who was in command of that division. 

He held in his hand a field-glass, by the aid of which we could 
see the movements of the colored troops far to our left. Look 
yonder! the enemy has just run a battery upon a knoll near a 
brick house right in our front, and are throwing shells at us! 
The first one falls short. The next one passes over our heads, 
and bursts in our rear. The scream is like to what we can easily 
imagine to be the cry of lost souls flying through the regions of 
the damned, exclaiming, "Lost! Lost!" When this last shell 
passed over us, General Cox remarked: "The Johnnies shoot well 
this morning. We had better move down on lower ground. 
Here we are a rather prominent mark. The next time they will 
get the range more accurately." The group of six or eight horse- 
men walked down a short distance to the left. A little way off 
I saw a short, heavy-set man, unattended, walking slowly toward 
our lines, looking carefully in every direction. He was plainly 
dressed, wearing a sack coat and a broad-brimmed planter's hat. 
Turning to the general, I said, "What business has that old 
planter within our lines?" To my astonishment, he replied, 
"That is Pap Thomas," and, taking out his watch, he added: 
"You will see in about three minutes what he is here for." Just 
as the pointer indicated eight o'clock that old sombrero was 
swung three times around his head at arm's-length, as he stood 
looking toward the fort in front of him. Immediately "Fort 
Emancipation," only a short distance from us, opened a most 
terrific fire, which lasted for fifteen minutes. Every fort and 
battery along the whole line then followed suit. The roar was 
almost deafening. When that ceased, our men, lying on the 
ground in front of the breastworks, arose and charged the en- 
emy's lines with a terrific yell, that made everything quail before 
them. The enemy's intrenchments were in the woods, so we 
could not see all that was accomplished by this movement; but 



130 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

this much was certain, our boys did not return to the breast- 
works. General Cox and his aids mounted, and rode quickly 
away. Some years after, when the general was running for 
Governor of Ohio, I met him on a railway train, and renewed the 
acquaintance, when the above events were recalled and laughed 
over. 

In this charge some of the boys were wounded, others killed. 
Several prisoners were also taken. The ambulances began to 
move out to bring back the wounded to the field hospital. This 
was usually established in the rear of the fighting line, and not 
always out of range of the enemy's guns. Having been assigned 
to the 4th Corps, Second Division, in caring for the wounded, I 
sought at once my proper place of work, when through that nar- 
row passageway I saw a man coming along, bleeding and faint. 
I assisted him to the hospital, that his shivered hand might be 
dressed. The hospital consisted of tents. The wounded were 
laid on blankets on the ground in the tent, that they might be 
cared for, and protected from the sun and wet. It is impossible 
for me to describe all the scenes of that dreadful day. Men were 
brought in, wounded in every possible manner; while some were 
stunned with shells. 

Near night I heard some one singing one of the sweet songs 
of Zion: 

"There is a fountain filled with blood, 
Drawn from Immanuel's veins: 
And sinners plunged beneath the flood 
Lose all their guilty stains." 

I hastened to him, and found that he was badly wounded 
through the thigh, and suffering intensely. He had embraced 
religion since joining the army. I gave him such encouragement 
and comfort as was in my power, and left to look after the wants 
of others. Hark! What beautiful strains are those I hear? 
Again that voice is heard, above the din of battle. My heart 
grows warm as I listen: 

"Streaming mercy, how it flows! 
Now I know I feel it. 
The half has never yet been told, 
Yet I want to tell it. 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 131 

Jesus' blood has healed my wounds, 

O, the wondrous story! 
I was lost, but now I 'm found, 

Glory, glory!" 

This man was a native of the State of Mississippi, and 
until now had fought against the Union cause. The last I saw 
of him was about nine o'clock at night, when he was lying on the 
amputation-table. The surgeons had just taken off his leg above 
the knee. 

Weaned and tired, about ten o'clock w r e left the field, and 
walked through deep mud to the Commission Rooms, and after 
some refreshments, wrapped up in a blanket, and lay down on the 
floor, and tried to rest. It was utterly impossible. I thought 
of home — of the many other homes made vacant to-day — and 
of the long nights and days of waiting, and yet "father does 
not return." Those ghastly wounds and piles of amputated limbs 
outside the surgeon's tent kept staring me in the face. 

Then the battle was undecided; another day of blood and 
thunder was upon us. Who would be the victors? True, our 
forces had been successful thus far; but some adverse wind might 
blow and turn the tide of war. 

Second Day. — At about two and a half o'clock in the morn- 
ing the delegates were up, and commenced writing to friends at 
home the requests of wounded men. As each finished, he would 
turn to a comrade and relate the scenes of the previous day. The 
recitals were extremely interesting. "Did you see our forces 
when they swept across the cornfield and up that hill, right 
in the face of shot and shell which flew like hail, and captured 
those guns and took some prisoners?" Many similar questions 
were asked, and answered as the experience of each happened 
to be. 

After partaking of mush and molasses, without either tea or 
coffee, at early dawn we are wading through the mud on the 
hunt for the 4th Corps, carrying our well-filled haversacks of 
needed supplies. We first went to where we left the field hospital 
tents the night before. They were not there. They had been 
moved; but none could tell us where. We marched around for 



132 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



an hour or more. Finally, some one said our forces had moved 
out in the night some two or three miles beyond the breastworks. 
We started for the Franklin Pike, as we saw the 4th Corps wag- 
ons and ambulances moving in that direction. "Halt!" cries the 
picket, as we approach the place of exit through the breastworks. 
Our badges are seen and passes exhibited, when we were allowed 
to proceed. The soil was all pulverized by the ploddings of 
horses, mules, cattle, artillery, cavalry, and infantry. After four 
or five miles of such walking, we at last find them driving stakes 
and putting up their hospital tents near a spring of excellent 
water, on a once grassy plot, sloping a little to the pike south- 
ward and to the spring eastward, and in sight of those "Overton 
hills" where the rebels had made their final stand. These hills 
were covered w T ith woods. All along up their sides masked bat- 
teries had been placed, and from these, volumes of fire, smoke, 
and shells were issuing every moment of time. Our batteries 
were on the plain below, and were replying in a most gallant 
manner, making the very heavens ring with their awful fire. This 
lasted for nearly the whole day. Add to this the constant clatter 
of musketry, which was as incessant as hailstones in a thunder- 
storm, especially when the several charges were made, in order 
to capture one point after another along that frowning hillside. 
Until about four o'clock, when the last charge was made, the 
volleys of musketry were enough to make the stoutest heart 
tremble. Frequently, bullets whizzed past our heads, or dropped 
at our feet, as we hurried along caring for the needy. Several 
crashed through the surgeon's tent, where they were dressing 
wounds and amputating limbs. Add to this the yell with which 
charges are made, and you can have a faint idea of the terror 
and storm of battle. Never did I know what excitement meant 
until I stood amid scenes like the above, — every pale face as 
death, and every nerve strung to its highest pitch, and nearly 
every one feeling as if the issues of the battle depended on his 
individual exertion. A braver, nobler set of men never drew the 
sword, or shouldered the musket, than those engaged in this 
battle for the right and the true. 

With a gentleman from Pennsylvania as my associate, we 
commenced to look after and care for the wounded as best we 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 



133 



were able. We assisted in handling them, dressing their wounds, 
giving them drink, and noting down in the meantime any com- 
munication for friends, and in imparting religious counsel. Few 
were despondent, however badly they were wounded; all ex- 
pected to get well. Here lay a man, formerly from the "Emerald 
Isle," wounded in both legs below the knees. One is literally 
pulverized, pants, drawers, bootleg, bones, and flesh all smashed 
into a common jelly. As I approach him, he exclaims: "O 
chaplain, can't you help me; won't you ease that foot?" I change 
it as he requests. But the pain will not cease. "I wish you would 
write to my friends at Louisville, Kentucky." His wife had died 
six months previous, leaving him six small children. He says: 
"Tell them I will soon be able to get a furlough, and come home." 
Alas! how frail are human hopes and calculations! An hour 
after I return. His place is vacant. The life-blood has fled. 
Death has mustered him out of the service. They have borne his 
mangled body away for burial. 

So very busy were we all day, relieving the wants of others, 
that we never so much as thought of food or drink for ourselves, 
until invited to partake of some refreshments by an orderly, at the 
direction of a surgeon. This surgeon's tent was an awning 
stretched over a pole against a tree. 

We soaked the "hardtack" in coffee, nibbled off the corners, 
ate some dried apple-sauce, and hastened to our work. 

Many touching incidents were recorded as we hurried from 
one sufferer to another. 

One soldier requested a sheet of paper and an envelope, say- 
ing, "I just got a letter that my father is dead, and I wish to 
write home." The tears were coursing dow r n his sunburnt cheeks. 

While down at the spring for water, two colored soldiers, hav- 
ing two guns each, passed in single file, with a captured rebel 
between them, marching him to headquarters, amid the cheers of 
our brave defenders of the old flag. The "Johnnie's" eyes were 
front, and hands down at the side. This was probably the most 
humiliating position of his life. I could but pity him. He knew 
what an attempt to escape or to retreat meant; for the colored 
troops never called "Halt" three times, as the army instructions 
required; but with them it was, "Halt, Bang!" — death. 



134 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



One of the soldiers had been stunned by a ball. On regain- 
ing his senses he found the ball had penetrated and lodged in a 
Testament which he carried in the side-pocket of his blouse, over 
the heart. As he approached me, face all aglow, holding out 
the little volume, he said: "This Book has saved my life. See, 
the ball nearly passed through it; but for this it would have gone 
through my heart." I looked, and found it as stated. He refused 
to part with that precious treasure. Ofttimes have I wondered, 
What has become of that little Testament, and of him so won- 
drously saved? That little Book accepted, studied, becomes a 
"savor of life unto life" to all who obey its precepts : "For whoso- 
ever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." It 
will never lose its power to save men, for "the law of the Lord 
is perfect, converting the soul." 

A rebel captain received a flesh wound in the leg, which bled 
freely. This weakened him very much. He was brought to the 
surgeon's tent in an ambulance, placed on the 'ground near a 
stump, against which he was leaning when I saw him, pale as 
death from the loss of blood. I spoke kindly to him, as I did 
to all who wore either the blue or gray, "What can I do for you?" 
for we were no longer enemies, now that he was a needy pris- 
oner of war. His reply to my inquiry was, "Will you give me 
a chew of tobacker?" "I never use it, and hence have none." 
Just then an officer passed, and I said: "Hello, lieutenant; this 
man wants some tobacco. Have you any?" Thrusting his hand 
into his pocket, he threw me nearly a whole plug, and then 
rushed on. I gave it to the rebel captain, who eagerly bit of! 
a good-sized hunk, and offered it to me. I said, "No! it 's yours; 
keep it." The tears started as he replied, "I never expected such 
kind treatment." To this I stated, "We claim to be civilized, and 
treat prisoners of war as our own friends." Said he, as the tears 
continued to flow: "For years I have fought against the flag. I 
will never do so again. We were repeatedly told if we surren- 
dered we would be ill treated." He was borne into the surgeon's 
tent, and I saw him no more. 

On a small hill northwest of the spring, in a grove stood 
a large mansion, now vacated by its owner and his family, which 
was used as a hospital. The bare, floors were literally covered 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 



135 



with the worst wounded, lying in swathes, with just room enough 
to walk between the feet of one row and the head of the next. 
What a sight! I shrink from the task, and yet I must describe 
it, if I can. Here is a man with an arm and shoulder smashed 
to pieces. There is another with one or both legs shattered. 
Over yonder is one with one side of his jaw and head gone. His 
brains are oozing out on the floor. Farther on lies a poor fellow 
with his bowels partly on the floor beside him, and yet he is 
breathing. 

Such scenes as these few pens can describe, or imaginations 
picture. So intent were we in doing something for these suffer- 
ing men that we never thought of the flight of the hours, or of 
weariness, until two o'clock in the morning, when slowly we 
plodded through mud and rain to the Christian Commission 
Rooms in the city, and lay down on a cot to rest. Be it re- 
corded that, among all of those wounded men, not one did we 
hear expressing a regret that he had enlisted. 

Third Day. — Before light we ate a little mush and molasses, 
and started off for the field of battle. The walking was horrible, 
owing to the passing of so many men, horses, and wagons. The 
road did not seem nearly so long as the night before; though if 
memory serves me correctly, it was about five miles. On reach- 
ing the scenes of the previous day, we found that the firing had 
almost ceased at the front, there being only now and then a 
volley. Hood, with his broken, scattered, vanquished forces, was 
on the retreat, and ours, flushed with victory, were in hot pur- 
suit. How changed their feelings since they vacated Franklin 
only a short time before! While we would gladly have gone with 
them, our plain duty was to remain and care for the wounded 
and dying, so we repair to the house left only a few hours be- 
fore. Many had been borne away to their last resting-place. 
Some were then dying, while others by their side were calling for 
wife, sister, mother, or friend to come and ease their sufferings — 
"for God's sake to give them water to drink." 

The most heart-rending scenes, if there was any difference, 
were in the rooms filled with the colored wounded, who had been 
mowed down the day before when charging one of the masked 



136 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



batteries of the Overton hills. Their piteous cries for assistance 
still ring in our ears. The spirit of these men may be shown by 
one incident: An unfortunate fellow, whose limbs had been taken 
off below the knee by a cannon-ball, as I began to extend to him 
my sympathy, exclaimed: "Massa, I would rather have both 
legs and hands off and be free, than to have them on and be a 
slave." 

We go, as we did the evening before, from one to another, 
giving them water and such other refreshments as we carried 
in our haversacks. What were a few crackers and two cans of 
oysters among so many? 

The dead were buried, without shroud or coffin, in trenches 
side by side, as close as they could lie, wrapped in their blankets 
or overcoats. If their name, regiment, and company were known, 
a little board or shingle told the fact. There were many "un- 
known" graves. 

Some time during the day we came across Captain Anderson, 
from Indiana, who was wounded through the small of the back, 
and unable to move. "It is only a flesh wound," he said; "I 
shall be all right if I can get to the officers' hospital in the city." 
He was very weak from the loss of blood, and from having 
neither water nor food for nearly two days. We hailed a passing 
ambulance, lifted him in, and started him for the city; but he 
insisted on my accompanying him, because he was so faint; be- 
sides, he wished me to telegraph for his wife to come to him im- 
mediately. About six months later, the writer saw the captain 
in Rushville, Indiana, moving around on crutches. 

After three days and nights of such nervous strain, tired 
nature gave out. We wended our way to the Commission 
Rooms for a little rest, and to send the sad messages to waiting 
ones in the distant homes. 

Hospital Work began the next day after the battle. Store- 
buildings, residences, halls, hotels, and churches were used for 
hospitals. These were numbered as wards; several of them under 
one management. 

The nervous strain of the battle, as well as gunshot wounds, 
had sent many to the hospitals for treatment. This made a great 



THE BATTLE IN FRONT OF NASHVILLE. 



137 



deal of work for the voluntary agents of the United States Chris- 
tian Commission, who were expected to visit all the wards, and 
furnish reading-matter, write letters, converse with the sick and 
the dying; also to preach in all the wards as often as circum- 
stances would admit. These services, as conducted by the 
writer, never exceeded half an hour. Those in charge of the 
ward were always consulted as to the best time and place for 
holding the services. The "boys" remained on their cots, either 
sitting or reclining, as they were able. They always did the 
singing. Often prayer and speaking meetings were held among 
the convalescent. 

From eight to ten hours were spent every day by the writer 
in this blessed work. A few extracts from that old memorandum 
will give a better idea of what was done than could otherwise be 
obtained: 

''A wicked man was lying on his cot, nearing the end of his career; 
but in despair. That passage which is the sheet anchor of the Christian 
faith was quoted to him: 'God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life.' 'Is that true?' inquired the dying man. Being 
assured that it was, 'Thank God,' said he, 'that whosoever includes me. 
I trust that promise.' He died in peace." 

"December 20, 1864, in Ward 3, one said: 'Jesus has blessed me. He 
has removed my burden. I am happy.' " 

"Another: 'Tell my mother that I am determined to be a Christian. 
I will cleave to God.' " 

"At midnight, December 29th, word comes that Rolla S. Sherman 
is dying, and wishes to see me. I hasten to his ward. He whispers in 
my ear: 'O chaplain. I am so glad to see you! I was afraid you would 
not come. I want you to talk about those good things I have heard 
you speak of so much; then sing and pray with me.' His wishes were 
complied with. When assured that he could not recover, Rolla said: 
'Thank the Lord. He knows it is all for the best, or he would not take 
me.' He then threw his arms around the neck of a comrade, exclaiming, 
'He is a strong tower in the day of trouble,' and fell asleep in Jesus. 

" 'Let me get hold of him,' said one on an adjoining cot, just before 
he expired." 

When I contemplate these scenes on battlefield and in hos- 
pitals, I seem to hear the deep sigh of that stricken mother and 
lonely widow when the fatherless ask: "When will father come 



I38 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

home? Why does he tarry so long? Mother, will he ever 
come?" I hear the tearful reply: "Ah! my child, your father 
sleeps in the 'Southland.' He gave his life for the defense of the 
old flag. His voice you will hear no more. The coming gener- 
ations will strew his grave with flowers on each Decoration-day." 

To return to my "jottings." One day as I was distributing 
papers in the Zollicoffer Barracks, I happened to inquire of a 
soldier, who was waiting for orders to join his regiment, "Where 
are you from?" "New York." "What county?" "Schoharie." 
"Excuse me, sir; but what township?" "Summit." My heart 
beat quickly as I looked on his noble, manly form, "What part?" 
"Charlotteville." "Can it be?" I said; "that is where I attended 
school." He quickly grasped my hand, and inquired, "Who are 

you?" "They used to call me I. H. B ." "Is this Isaac?" 

On being told that it was, he said: "I have been to your 
father's house. Philip Multer has a son upstairs." In the fifth 
story we find a tall, pale-faced young man, just out of the hos- 
pital, who did not much favor the little Joseph we knew years 
before. 

Some months after, when visiting Hospital No. 4, at New 
Albany, Indiana, a soldier, noticing me as I walked through 
the ward, accosted me with, "You took my name on the battle- 
field of. Nashville, and gave me my first drink of water. I never 
shall forget you." 

The same day, in Hospital No. 6, a similar scene occurred, 
when another said: "You took my name, and gave me my first 
drink of water. I shall never forget your voice. You were so 
kind to us who were wounded." 

In 1869, as our train was speeding through Indiana on toward 
the mountains, a gentleman in the car, hearing me speak, threw 
his arms around my neck and wept, saying: "I shall always re- 
member you. You gave me my first drink of water after I was 
wounded in front of Nashville. That voice I shall never forget." 

These personal references are inserted to show that the brave 
defenders of the flag appreciated what was done for them in the 
day of their necessity. 



III. 



ON TO MURFREESBORO. 

DECEMBER 28TH, the soldier in charge of the United States 
Christian Commission Rooms in Murfreesboro arrived in Nash- 
ville, having walked the entire distance seeking supplies for the 
sick and wounded in their hospitals. Their communications hav- 
ing been cut off for several weeks, no assistance had reached 
them. The railroad had been torn up by Hood's cavalry. 

The method they used in destroying the railroad was this: 
the rails were laid across log-heaps, which were set on fire; and 
when the iron was hot it was bent and warped out of shape, so as 
to render it unfit for use again; which made it difficult to repair 
the road. 

This call for help was immediately responded to, with two six- 
mule teams hauling Government wagons loaded to the very top 
of the covers. The drivers of such teams always rode the rear 
near mule, and drove with a "jerk-rein." Two soldiers were sent 
along as guards. The man wanted two assistants to return with 
him. The Nashville agent appointed the writer and W. J. Breed, 
Esq., who had just arrived from Cincinnati, Ohio, to accompany 
him. The early morning of December 30th found us on our 
march southward. To ride was impossible. All except the 
drivers had to walk. The two soldiers only were armed. That 
old pike, once smooth, was now out of repair, and quite rough. 
A cold, drizzling rain was falling, which made the walking none 
of the best. 

Near a large closed mansion we saw a small flock of geese. 
I begged the soldiers not to shoot them, as probably they were 
all that the family had left from the ravages of war. One of the 
boys sauntered behind for a little and killed one of them, and 
threw it into the feed-box. Night found us fifteen miles from 
Murfreesboro, at Ashley Rozzell's. Here was a planter's house 
surrounded by tall trees. The rain made it unpleasant camping. 
We told them who we were, what our mission was, and asked 
if we could stay in the house over night. This was cheerfully 

139 



140 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



granted, though the men folks were away. The evening was 
spent in religious conversation. Prayers were said with the 
family, when we retired, feeling safe under God's protecting care. 

They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, and were hospitaole. That night, Mr. Breed and the 
writer slept on the only feather-bed they ever saw in the army. 
An old colored uncle and aunt, for a small gratuity, had our 
goose roasted for breakfast, which was relished far more than 
"sowbelly" would have been. The cooks were given what was 
left. 

At seven o'clock we pulled out. The morning was cold and 
raw. The rain of the day before having turned to snow, which, 
with the mud, was about three inches deep, after seven hours of 
hard walking we reached the Christian Commission Rooms in 
Murfreesboro, Tenn., the last day of the old year of 1864. 

One incident on the way might have cost us our lives, but for 
a little forethought. We were passing through a pine forest, 
when two armed men stepped into the road by our side, and 
demanded to know who we were, where we were going, and what 
we were loaded with. We frankly told them that we were 
United States Christian Commission men with supplies for the 
sick and wounded in the hospitals at Murfreesboro, who were 
suffering for the want of them. This last expression was made 
very emphati:. They looked us over sharply, and passed on in 
advance. Soon we came to a log cabin in a little clearing, where 
several horses were tied to branches of trees, and as we drove past 
a number of men watched us closely. We then thought that they 
were a "guerrilla band/' whose outer guard had reported who 
we were, when they allowed us to pass unmolested. I confess 
that we felt no small relief when out of range of their guns ; but 
we knew not what awaited us. 

Before contending armies had devastated the town and its 
surroundings and scattered its inhabitants, Murfreesboro was the 
third city in size in Tennessee. It was the center of trade for a 
large area, with a wealthy and enterprising people. Here two 
seminaries were located, and six church-spires pointed heaven- 
ward. There were many beautiful residences and many large 
store-buildings, while hundreds daily crowded its paved streets. 



ON TO MURFREESBORO. 



141 



Yet here secession fermented and foamed defiance to the Govern- 
ment. 

The colored population predominated; black they could not 
be called, for they were of all shades. Two large schools were 
carried on successfully among them by Northern lady teachers, 
who felt called to this work. One of them afterward became 
the wife of Dr. Palmer, a returned missionary of the Presby- 
terian Board, who for years has resided in Trinidad, Colorado. 

Two miles west of the city was fought the battle of Stone 
River. Here is a Government cemetery, and a large stone monu- 
ment commemorating the event. There is a long row of graves 
marked "unknown." When looking at these, we wondered who 
they were, and where they were from. What desolations are 
wrought by war! 

January 4, 1865, Mr. Breed and the writer visited the contra- 
band camp. What a sight! There was a woman said to be a 
hundred years old, by the name of Fanny Jordan, the mother of 
ten children, five of whom had been taken from her and sold. 
Her religious experience was wonderful, and her testimony 
unique. Here are a few of the expressions she used in conversing 
with us: "I would be mighty glad to get off. Sometimes I am 
up, and sometimes down. I love the Church and all of God's 
people. My Bible is within. I have the living witness in my 
heart. I am bound for the kingdom. My Master has given me 
a free pass. I am moving rootlike, inch at a time, toward glory. 
I am freely sprinkled with the Holy Ghost. He promises me a 
bounty. My soul is full of glory. Been praying all my life to get 
the yoke off my neck." Here Brother Breed mentioned the name 
of Lincoln. The old veteran asked to see his likeness. He 
showed her a greenback on which it was. She covered it with 
kisses, and pressed it to her bosom, declaring that "he was the 
handsomest man she had ever seen; the next friend to God, for he 
is doing his will." Then she called in her daughter and numbers 
of her friends to see his picture. 

Soon after the above event, Mr. Breed, although a Congre- 
gationalism made the following proposition to me, saying: "You 
are better adapted to this work than I am. If you will remain 
after your six weeks are up, I will go home, attend to my busi- 



142 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ness, make the money, and pay you the same salary you are get- 
ting at home." The arrangements were accordingly made satis- 
factorily to all concerned, and I remained in charge of the 
United States Christian Commission Rooms in Murfreesboro, 
Tenn. 

My work consisted, as heretofore, in distributing reading- 
matter in the camps, hospitals, and prisons during the week, 
conversing with the sick and dying, holding prayer-meetings, 
and preaching three and four times on the Sabbath. 

From the old memorandum-book I take the following entries : 

"February 26th. — I preached to the 8th Wisconsin Battery in Fortress 
Hospital and in Hospital No. 4, Wards 7 and 10. That evening I also 
heard Captain Turner preach from, 'Your sins will find you out' 

"March 12th. — I preached at the Battery, at Fortress Hospital, and 
for the 143d Indiana Infantry. The colonel said: 'Come again. Religious 
men are more easily governed, and make better soldiers.' " 

"John W. Sharp, of the 3d Michigan, who was dying, said: 'I want 
to go where angels live. There is such a load on my heart. I have told 
the doctors about it; but they do not help me.' I replied: 'If you will 
go to Jesus by faith, and ask him to take it away, he will do it. 1 will 
pray for you.' Great was my agony before God that night for that dear 
boy. Early the next morning I went into the ward, to learn how Johnny 
was. As I approached his cot, I saw that his face was shining. With 
animation, he said: 'Last night when the ward got quiet, I told Jesus 
all about it; and asked him to help me, and he has. The load is all gone, 
and I am so happy.' Three days after we buried his body in a soldier's 
grave." 

"Another in the body here below, but with a soul longing for another 
clime, said in a scarce audible voice: T am so sorry I did not go last 
night. I want to be off.' His earthly career soon came to an end." 

"Another poor boy, when dying, said: 'O, that I had been a praying 
man before I came to this critical moment! I have kind friends at home; 
but I have no hope beyond the grave;' and passed away." 

"Another, who was very sick, when I urged him to look to Jesus at 
once, and make no delay, replied: 'I can not see it as you do. I have 
been so wicked.' " 

"I approached a little fellow, lying on his cot, with this inquiry: 
'Are you trusting in Jesus?' 'Yes,' was his answer, with a sweet smile. 
Just then his brother-in-law arrived, who had been sent for, and they 
kissed each other. A few moments after, with a halo of glory resting on 
his face, his redeemed spirit took its flight." 

"To one I said, 'My good fellow, you ought to be a Christian.' His 
reply was, 'I am determined to get religion if it is to be had.' " 



ON TO MURFREESBORO. 



1 43 



"Of another, I inquired, 'What is your hope?' He answered, 'My 
mind is made up to seek Jesus.' " 

"John Mecham, of the 8th Minnesota, had a wife and seven children 
at home. In answer to my first question, he said: 'If it were not for mj 
prospects beyond, I do not know what I would do. I hope to reign on 
the blessed fields of glory before long. I am almost home.' After prayer, 
he said: 'I wish I was there now.' He died at 'high-noon' the next day." 

"During prayer-meeting one night a soldier boy arose, and said: 
'I have been very wicked. The ringleader of all vice. My wife prays 
for me. I am determined to change my course. Pray for me.' The above 
statements were made amid many sobs and tears. All kneeled in prayer 
for the returning prodigal." 

"One day another showed me a picture of his wife and three little 
ones. I said, 'Does she pray for you?' The tears started. 'Yes, she 
prays for me.' 'Do you pray for yourself?' 'No; I have been very 
wicked. I have decided to yield, and be saved.' " 

"Chauncey Cree died in peace and in hope, while his wife's last letter 
was being read to him. Ere it was half finished, he was gone." 

"February 20th. — We had an unusually interesting prayer-meeting. 
Several decided to become Christians. One arose, and said of his own 
free will and accord: 'I never took a stand for God before. I have been 
wicked. Pray for me.' This was said with much feeling." 

"Another spoke as follows: 'I desire to serve God. Last Saturday I 
received the intelligence that my father had gone to heaven. He used to 
lead me to places like this. I want to see him above.' " 

"Immediately another testified: 'I never enjoyed such peace as since 
last Thursday night. I have been very wicked, a frequenter of the halls 
of vice, billiards, cards, etc., when my good old mother was at home 
praying for me. I have a praying wife. How they will rejoice when 
they learn that I have started for glory! O that I may be faithful, and 
if we never meet here below, that we may meet over there!' " 

When Hood's army retreated from before Nashville, they car- 
ried away as prisoners two Union men from near Murfreesboro. 
General Thomas at once arrested four rebels, and put them in 
prison as hostages, notifying Hood that if the Union men were 
not returned to their homes immediately, these men would be 
shot. Weeks passed; one of the two died in prison, and the other 
finally returned, when the four were released. It was my privi- 
lege, during the imprisonment of these four men, to visit them 
often, give them reading-matter, and preach to them and others 
in the prison on the Sabbath. Thus we became quite well ac- 
quainted. One of the men bore the name of Crockett, a relative 
10 



/ 



144 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

of the celebrated David Crockett, of Almanac fame. We had 
many a pleasant chat before the large, open, wood fire-place, sit- 
ting side by side on a backless bench. They were rebels to the 
backbone. There was not a particle of milk and water about 
them. I liked them for that. One day the question of the Bible 
view of slavery came up. Crockett presented his understanding 
of the subject frankly. Now said he: "Tell us how you North- 
erners interpret the Bible on the question of slavery." After 
their promising not to interrupt nor to become angry, I pro- 
ceeded to give our understanding of the Scriptures on that line. 
He and his companions listened very attentively for an hour or 
more, while the unfolding was going on. The discussion ended, 
Crocket, slapping me on the knee, said: "I '11 stake the issues of 
this war on the slavery question. If our interpretation of the 
Bible is right, we shall win; if yours is right, you will." "Agreed," 
said I, and we parted good friends. 

The day they were discharged, I happened to go up to the 
room in the courthouse where they were confined, when they 
made me this proposition: "Chaplain, if you will come and live 
with us and preach for us, you shall never want for any good 
thing in this life. We have an abundance, and to spare!" 



IV. 



THE CHAPLAINCY. 

Some; time in the early part of March, 1865, the 188th Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry came to the fort, which stood on the opposite 
side of Stone River from the city, and only a short distance from 
where the battle was fought, December 31, 1862, and January 2, 

1863. 

I visited this regiment frequently in my rounds, and preached 
for them March 26th and April 2d, when, unsought, they ten- 
dered me the chaplaincy of the same. I accepted the position, and 
was mustered into the United States service on the 5th of April, 
1865, at Columbus, Ohio, whither I had been sent for that pur- 
pose. 

On a lovely May morning, one of the company officers in- 
vited me to walk with him over the battlefield of Stone River. 
The marks of that hard-contested battle were plainly visible on 
rocks, trees, and soil. Scarred bullets, bits of clothing, pieces 
of shell, broken caissons, and gunstocks were scattered about 
promiscuously. In one or two localities large trees were liter- 
ally riddled with bullets. Some of them were cut off six or eight 
feet above the ground by the shot or shell. Many of the limbs 
were severed from the trunk. How the leaden hail must have 
driven! After wandering about for awhile, we stood on an ele- 
vation north of the monument, from which we could get a good 
view of the whole field. Here was a long row of graves marked 
"unknown." We had picked up the visor of a soldier's cap, and, 
while standing under the shade of a small tree, were wondering 
whose head it had adorned, when "zip" came a bullet, cutting 
off a small twig within an inch of my forehead. I stepped a little 
to one side, and on lower ground, to see if possible where it 
came from. The captain remained stationary, when, in just about 
the time it would take to reload a muzzle-loader, "zip" came 
another, cutting off a leaf close to his head. What appeared re- 
markable about this affair was, neither heard the report nor saw 
the smoke of a gun. The whizzing of those bullets recalled the 

145 



146 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



warning Colonel Taylor gave us before leaving camp, "Look out 
for bushwhackers." So interested had we been in our surround- 
ings, that we had not thought of it before. Leaving the knoll, 
we crossed over near to the monument, and bore off to the right 
for camp, keeping all the time a sharp lookout for that unseen 
and unknown marksman; not that we cared for him, but he 
seemed to want us. The guards at the fort heard the two shots 
in the direction we had gone, and had reported to the colonel, 
who was about to send a squad of men after our bodies, supposing 
we had been killed or wounded. Ofttimes do I wonder who that 
man was, and what became of him. He came very near getting 
our scalps. 

That was our last and only visit to the battlefield of Stone 
River, though we had been to see the monument before. 

May 10th, S B , of Company E, went out with a 

canteen and gun, lay down with his head against a stump, and 
there shot himself. His body was found two days after, and was 
buried inside Fortress Rosecrans. He left a wife and two chil- 
dren. 

May 13th the regiment was ordered to Tullahoma, Tei_n.; 
left Murfreesboro at seven o'clock in the morning, marched nine 
miles, and lunched on hardtack and coffee. About two o'clock, 
as we passed a church, I inquired of a grinning darkey, "What 
church is that?" His answer was, "A shouting Methodist church; 
preacher and all in the rebel army." That night we rested on the 
bare ground, covered only with a rubber blanket. 

May 14th, the stillness of the Sabbath morn was broken by 
"reveille" at four o'clock; breakfasted on hardtack, cold meat, 
and coffee. At eleven we halted at "War-trace," weary, tired, 
and footsore, having marched eleven miles; twenty miles more 
marching, and we "bivouac" in an orchard, on the south bank 
of Duck River; broke camp at two-fifteen the next morning, and 
marched by moonlight nine miles, reaching Tullahoma at five 
and one-half o'clock. 

Our regiment is stationed in an orchard southwest of town, 
on a table-land, where our tents were soon pitched "in due form." 
The colonel had a nice little cabin, eight feet by ten feet, built for 
the chaplain. 



THE CHAPLAINCY. 



147 



The most of the regiment remained here for two months. 
Several of the companies were on detached duty part of the time, 
guarding railroad bridges. These exchanged posts several times. 

May 2 1st, Sidney Weston died of heart disease. He left a 
wife and four children. May 22d, in company with Brother 
Blackburn, of the Pittsburg Conference, I visited Chattanooga. 
Here we clambered up the abrupt face of Lookout Mountain. 
On Point Lookout were the rifle-pits and breastworks which 
our forces captured. Visited also Hospital No. 3, where were 
sick men whom we had come to see. Here we held services, and 
remained all night. The next day we visited three camps of 
regulars, distributing papers and tracts ; also the prison in the city. 
Of this trip, I find this record under date of May 25th: "During 
the past three days I have conversed with many about Jesus and 
his salvation; preached the gospel on Lookout Mountain; read 
and prayed with one family, who gave us a drink of water. That 
morning a young lady of the household was happily converted 
while at the washtub. Truly my soul is greatly blessed while 
engaged in such work. Kindness beamed from every brow, 
throbbed in every heart, wherever we went. Thank God for his 
goodness!" 

About two P. M. of June 18th there came up a thunderstorm. 
A young man of the I52d Illinois Volunteer Infantry had said, 
"That he hoped the Almighty would strike him dead, if he ever 
went on dress parade again." A squad was ordered out just as 
the storm came up, and as they brought their guns to "present 
arms," a flash came and played along the polished bayonets. 
While all were stunned for a few minutes, only that young man 
was killed. I was standing only a short distance away when it 
occurred, and saw the flash and saw the man fall. 

Word was brought in to headquarters that the people living 
seven miles east of Tullahoma desired an army chaplain to come 
out and preach at the Carrol schoolhouse July 8th. My colonel 
asked if I would go, saving, "They will guarantee your safety." 
I replied, "I will, if Chaplain Cooly, of the 47th Wisconsin, will 
go with me." We were directed to go unarmed and unguarded. 
The arrangements were accordingly made. The escort was to 
come for us on the Saturday previous. Our guide, when he 



148 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



came, was a twelve-year-old boy, with an old mule. How were 
three of us to ride that pile of bones at the same time? The boy 
walked. Chaplain Cooly "rode and tied." Then I "rode and 
tied." Thus we alternated. That night we staid with a family 
whose house stood on the bank of a stream in a glen, surrounded 
by woods. They showed us a cave in the side of a bluff, where 
they had, at times, hidden from friend and foe for years. Here 
they slept when danger was near, coming forth only when con- 
vinced by their lookout that all danger had passed. They were 
careful not to make a path leading thereto. 

In a tree on the top of the bluff a vigilant watch was kept, so 
as not to be caught unawares. The only "sweetening" the family 
had used since the war began was honey gathered from the trees 
and rocks. This family was heartily sick of war, and wanted the 
"olive-branch" of peace to come quickly. 

The schoolhouse, which was quite a rude affair, stood in a 
grove on a hill. The only windows were where the chinks had 
been left out from between the logs. The seats were made of slabs 
and "puncheons." The people had not been to a religious service 
of any kind for three years. Not one of them had ever heard 
a "Yank" preach. The crowd of old men, women, and children 
that greeted us that lovely Sabbath morning was a large one. 
Chaplain Cooly preached the first sermon. Services had hardly 
begun when a squad of armed men rode up with a look that 
seemed to say, "We are here to clean you fellows out." Two or 
three old gentlemen stepped out to them, quietly explaining who 
we were, and why we were there, when they all dismounted, tied 
their horses, came in, and listened attentively to the excellent 
discourse the chaplain was delivering. 

A neatly, but plainly, dressed lady invited us home for dinner. 
At the house she informed us that her husband was a captain 
in the rebel army, that he had been in hiding since the battle 
in front of Nashville, and that, if we would not betray him, she 
would like us to meet him. We assured her that we would be 
happy to see him, and that her secret would be safe with us. She 
then gave a few raps on a board partition, when two of the 
boards moved to one side (there was no evidence of a door), and 
out walked the husband, who was a medium-sized man, and had 



THE CHAPLAINCY. 



149 



spent three years in the rebel army, without once seeing his fam- 
ily. When Hood was whipped, he and others decided it was 
useless to fight longer; so he hied away home. None of his 
neighbors, not even his own children, knew that he was there. 
Only the faithful wife and an aged mother were possessed of his 
secret. It was a surprise to the little ones when they saw their 
"papa" step out so unexpectedly. The conversation was about 
the war and its issues, which was conducted in a free and friendly 
manner, until the hour for the afternoon service. Our host ac- 
companied us to the meeting, which was held in the grove ad- 
joining the schoolhouse. Many were the thanks the chaplains 
received for their sermons. They were urged to return and 
preach again. A week after we were ordered away, and saw 
them no more. From entries made at the time, I select the fol- 
lowing: 

"July 12th. — James Butcher, of Company F, was drowned while bath- 
ing in the creek near camp. He leaves a wife and seven children." 

"July 14th. — Word comes that we are to move. The boys are jubi- 
lant, jumping, cheering, and shouting, 'Anywhere but here.' The next 
day we leave for Nashville by rail. Our regiment, after three days, oc- 
cupied the Cumberland Barracks, and guarded Government property for 
over two months." 

"July 29th. — J. N. B got drunk, was arrested, and, attempting to 

escape, was shot. He was the most troublesome man in the regiment." 

"August 3d. — F. R , of Company H, was shot when drunk, and 

trying to get away from his guard. A wife and four children mourn his 
death." 

"August 6th. — Seth Chatfield died in peace, declaring that all was 
well; only sick a few hours. He leaves five small children in destitute 
circumstances." 

"August 9th. — A telegram calls me home; sickness in the family. 
General Thomas grants me a leave of absence the next day. The 14th 
I was taken down with bilious fever; after which jaundice. Thus I was 
held at home for over four weeks; but in the person of my dear wife I 
had one of the best of nurses. Returning to my regiment, I reached 
Nashville in a convalescent state, September 16th. Five days later our 
regiment was mustered out of the United States service, and ordered 
home to Columbus, Ohio, to be discharged. The next morning at four 
we are on the train en route to Louisville, Ky., where we take the boat 
St. Nicholas, bound for Cincinnati, Ohio. Here we transfer to freight- 
cars, and are off for Camp Chase at half-past eight on Sabbath morning. 
The 'boys' were all over the cars, inside and out, as the notion took 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



them. I was standing between two brothers, one a captain and the 
other a lieutenant, when I noticed a small group of women on a slope, 
scarcely a hundred feet away, which was a little higher than the top of 
the cars on which we were riding. One of them when she saw us began 
to weep, and then to alternately wipe her eyes with a handkerchief, and 
wave it at us. Just then I noticed that one of the brothers, between whom 
I was standing on the top of the box-car, was wiping his eyes. I in- 
quired of the other why that was, when he replied, 'That weeping lady is 
his wife.' By some means she had learned that our regiment was to 
pass that Sabbath morning, and was on the lookout. So, thought I, it 
will be when we approach the Celestial City, our loved ones will be look- 
ing out for us, and will recognize us when we come." 

"September 28th. — Our regiment was paid off, and the men received 
their discharges to-day. I took the night-train for home, which I reached 
at Bakersville, Coshocton County, Ohio, the next afternoon. I found my 
second son, Noble Lovett, five years of age, very sick with bloody flux. 
After ten days of illness he breathed his last, at four A. M., October 5th. 
Our hearts bleed over the loss of this most precious one. The vacuum 
can never be filled. We 'shall go to him, but he will not return to us.' 
It is difficult not to feel that there is a mistake. He wept tears of joy 
when he learned that his 'papa' had returned from the war to stay. How 
can we give thee up? Yet thy suffering time is over, and angels have 
welcomed thee home. Why do we weep and mourn thy loss? This 
we can not very well help since we are human. God sustains. His re- 
mains were interred, on the 7th, beside his sister in the 'Maple Grove 
Cemetery,' three miles south of Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio." 

"Through this toilsome world, alas! 
Once and only once I pass. 
If a kindness I may show, 
If a good deed I may do 
To my suffering fellow-men, 
Let me do it while I can, 
Nor delay it; for 't is plain 
I shall not pass this way again." 

— Joseph A. Torrey. 



PART III. 



Echoes from Abroad. 

151 



Breast the Tide* 



"When, the storms of life o'ertake you, 
Let not courage e'er forsake you; 
Yield not to the tempest tamely, 
Battle with it firmly, gamely — 
Breast the tide. 

"What a spectacle ignoble 
Is the man who, when in trouble, 
Folds his hands with looks despairing, 
"When he should with high-souled daring 
Breast the tide! 

Tho* the winds should fiercely bluster, 
Clouds of inky blackness muster, 
"Winds erelong will be declining, 
Clouds display a silvVy lining, — 
Breast the tide. 

Folly 'tis to let disaster 
Energy and pluck overmaster; 
Fortune will show less of rigor, 
If you ply the oar with vigor, 
Breast the tide. 

Courage only can avail you 
"When the winds and waves assail you. 
Onward! onward! or be driven 
On the rocks, your boat all riven! 
Breast the tide. 

— W. R. Barber. 

152 



I. 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 

A brikf synopsis of that foreign tour will only be given, as 
we can not spare the room for an extended account. This would 
not be inserted, but for the urgent request of numerous friends. 
We left Denver, Colorado, on the evening of September 10, 1872, 
by the Kansas Pacific Railroad. When out on the Plains our 
train had a race with a herd of antelope. The scene was exciting; 
but the iron horse won. Muscle is no match for steam. 

We sailed October 5, 1872, from pier 20, Hudson River, New 
York, on the Australia, Anchor Line steamer, for Glasgow, Scot- 
land. Eight months and five days later, on our return, we 
stepped from the steamer Victoria, of the same line, onto the 
same pier, thankful that we were a "free-born" American citizen. 

Ten missionaries of the Presbyterian Board, outward bound, 
were associate passengers. The passage was rough, stormy, and 
foggy. We ran along the north coast of Ireland, close to the 
shore; dropped anchor in the harbor of Lough Foyle, opposite 
Moville. October 17th, we landed at Glasgow, having been 
twelve days en route. We hurriedly look the city over, then visit 
Edinburgh Castle, John Knox's residence, Calton Hill, Holyrood 
Palace, and other points of interest. Then we are off to London, 
England, where three weeks were spent in sight-seeing; heard 
Spurgeon, Newman Hall, Joseph Parker, Dr. Cummings, and 
several others preach; visited the museums, art-galleries, Tower 
of London, Madam Tussaud's wax-figures and Chamber of Hor- 
rors, where stands the French Guillotine, on which twenty-one 
thousand persons were beheaded by the French in 1793-4; saw 
the inside of Newgate, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster 
Abbey, City Road Chapel, etc. 

November 7th, at eight P. M., we leave for France, by the 
way of New Haven and Dieppe. Paris, the magnificent — who 
can describe it? Fifteen days were spent in visiting the various 
places of interest here. One day at Versailles. Grand! Churches 
and art-galleries were viewed. 

153 



154 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Next we took a look at Strassburg, clock and tower. Then 
up the Rhine Valley to Basle by rail; thence to Neuhausen and 
the falls of the Rhine, Next came Constance and the Coun- 
cil-chamber, where John Huss and Jerome of Prague were tried 
for their devotion to Christ. The former was burned July 6, 
1415, and the latter, May 30, 141 6. A large rock, inclosed by 
an iron fence, marks the spot. Soon we are at Zurich, the seat 
of learning. Here Zwingli began the Reformation. In the old 
arsenal they showed the bow of William Tell. 

Lucerne stands at the mouth of the lake of the same name, 
and is walled in. Of deep interest were the Rigi and other 
sights: Berne and the Bear Pits; queer old clock; Freyburg, 
suspension bridges, and great organ; Lausanne, where Gibbon 
wrote the last pages of the "History of Rome," with Lake 
Geneva in full view; Vevay and Castle of Chillon. Geneva stands 
at the mouth of the lake, on the banks of the arrowy Rhone and 
the muddy Arve, whose waters refuse to unite for a long distance 
below the city. Their chief industry is the manufacturing of 
watches. This was the home of John Calvin. His church and 
grave are visited; also the Chamounix Valley and the Chateau 
of Voltaire, containing his bedroom, pictures, and the urn which 
holds his heart. 

Another work of great attraction is the "Mont Cenis Tun- 
nel," which is seven miles and a half in length, and cost 
$13,000,000. It was finished in 1871, and was thirteen years in 
building. There are two railroad tracks through it. Each end 
is forty-three feet lower than the middle. This is to give it drain- 
age. It was lighted with gas when we were there. December 
12, 1872, we left Geneva. The day was chilly, rainy, snowy, 
cloudy, and every way disagreeable; no fire in the compartment 
cars; overcoats and wraps were necessary; seven o'clock at Cham- 
bery we ate our suppers, and changed cars; tall mountains were 
about us; the snow was a foot deep. "When shall we get to 
Mont Cenis Tunnel?" None could tell us. For strange sounds 
greet our ears. Their language was not ours; nor ours theirs. 

The cars move slowly, the engine labors heavily, and the 
snow deepens as we ascend the heavy grades. The air becomes 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



**55 



very cold; the lamps are lighted; we pass quickly through several 
short tunnels, and as the shadows lengthen over "peak," valley, 
and "plain," lakelets, streamlets, and cascades, we enter the 
Mont Cenis Tunnel, to emerge therefrom on the Italian side 
in just thirty minutes. The train stopped, and I leaped therefrom. 
What a change! What a scene! A few inches of snow lay on 
the ground. Here and there were standing evergreen trees along 
the mountain sides. Peak, crag, and gorge were lighted up with 
the silvery brightness of an Alpine moon. The few light, fleecy 
clouds only added enchantment and beauty to the scene. For a 
moment it seemed that I stood in the very vestibule of Paradise, 
and shouted, "Glory to God in the highest!" Instinctively, plac- 
ing my hand to my ear to catch, if possible, the strain of some 
angelic harper, "Whispering, Sister spirit come away," I ex- 
claimed: 

"Lend, lend your wings; I mount, I fly. 
O Grave, where is thy victory? 
O Death, where is thy sting?" 

Turin, Italy; antiquities, museum. From the bluffs, on the 
south side of that city of one hundred and ten churches, one gets 
a magnificent view of the Alps, which Byron thus describes: 

"Who first beholds the Alps, that mighty chain 
Of mountains stretching on from east to west; 
So massive, yet so shadowy, so ethereal, 
As to belong rather to heaven than to earth, 
But instantly receives into his soul 
A sense, a feeling that he loses not, 
A something that informs him 't is a moment 
Whence he may date henceforward and forever." 

Genoa: its streets are narrow and houses high, its harbor 
filled with the ships of all nations. Ancient relics are numerous. 

Milan has the grand cathedral, and the immortal painting of 
the Last Supper. The museum is visited. The city is walled in, 
and has ten gates. 

Venice is situated upon seventy-two islands. The grand canal 
meanders through the city like a big letter S: which is inter- 



156 ' ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

sected by one hundred and forty-six smaller canals. No coaches 
or carriages are used. Horseback riding is out of the question. 
The gondola supplies the place. They ride to funerals, to wed- 
dings, and to prison in the gondola. The streets are usually not 
over four or five feet wide. The Rialto over the Grand Canal 
is the finest bridge in the city. We visited St. Mark, Doge's 
Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and gazed upon the matchless paint- 
ings of Titian and of Tintoretto with admiration. When the great 
clock strikes two in the Campanile a large flock of pigeons fly 
to one spot, where an upper window is raised, and corn is fed to 
them every day. There is a wonderful scramble, pigeon falling 
over pigeon, as each seeks to get his share of the corn falling on 
the pavement. 

At Bologna we had the pleasure of meeting Leroy M. Ver- 
non, D. D. (whom we had met at Genoa a few weeks before), the 
founder of our Italian Mission, and Philip Phillips, the world- 
renowned "Singing Pilgrim." Each having faithfully repre- 
sented the Master here, has gone on to enjoy his reward. 

We found much of interest in Florence, where sculpture and 
art abound. There are miles of paintings in her galleries, and 
almost numberless pieces of statuary. Many students are here 
from all parts of the world studying art. It is a charming city 
to visit, and is considered by many the most beautiful city of 
Italy. There is in the "Uffizi Gallery" a beautiful statue of 
"Apollo," and a painting which attracted me very much. The 
infant Jesus is lying on a pallet; straw underneath. The Magi 
have come to make their offerings. Mary lifts one corner of 
the covering, that they may behold the features of her first-born, 
when there beams forth such a halo of glory that they are com- 
pelled to shade their eyes, in order that they may gaze upon 
the face of the child. In the background stands Joseph and the 
donkey, only dimly seen, while, from above, angels are peering 
through the clouds upon the scene, whose faces would not be 
noticed but for the effulgence coming from the face, below. 

Pisa has four attractions. These are: "The Campo Santo," 
an oblong inclosure. The soil for this was brought from Pales- 
tine in A. D. 1228. The dead had formerly to pay to get in; 
now the living to get out. 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



157 



"The Duomo," within which stands an altar cased with silver, 
that cost about $180,000. Here is also a many-pronged bronze 
lamp, which, by its motion, first suggested to Galileo the meas- 
uring of time by the pendulum. 

"The Baptistry," which is an octagon building, 150 feet in 
diameter and 160 feet high, beautifully ornamented within and 
without with marble, celebrated for its inward echo. 

"The Leaning Tower," 50 feet in diameter and 190 feet high, 
which leans fifteen feet from the perpendicular. You ascend this 
by two hundred and ninety-five steps, leading up a circular stair- 
way within. The top is inclosed by a light iron railing. One look 
off the leaning side is sufficient; it is simply terrific. 

Some one has said, "See Rome and die." January 1, 1873, 
after dark, we entered the ancient city of Rome. What a welcome 
sound to hear the guard cry out, as he opened the compartment- 
car doors, "R-o-m-a, P-a-r-t-a!" Here we spent a month and 
four days, with Byron frequently exclaiming: 

"Am I in Rome! Oft as the morning ray- 
Visits these eyes, waking, at once I cry, 
Whence this excess of joy! What has befallen me? 
And from within a thrilling voice replies, 
'Thou art in Rome! the city that so long 
Reigned absolute, the mistress of the world.' " 

Again and again, in spite of resolution to the contrary, I 
would repeat to myself : 

"And am I there? 
Ah! little thought I, when in school I sat, 
A schoolboy on his bench, at early dawn 
Glowing with Roman story, I should live 
To tread the Appian, once an avenue 
Of monuments most glorious, palaces, 
Their doors sealed up, and silent as the night; 
The dwellings of the illustrious dead — to turn 
Toward the Tiber, or climb the Palatine." 

"I stood within the Coliseum wall, 
Midst the chief relics of almighty Rome." 



158 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Rome! How much of ancient and modern history, sacred and 
profane, clusters around that word of only four letters ! It stands 
on the banks of the Tiber, thirteen miles from the Mediterranean 
seacoast, and only twenty feet higher, and overlaps seven hills. 
The city has a population of abou<; three hundred thousand. 

The next morning I made wry first visit to "San Pietro" (St. 
Peter's), the grandest church in the world. What an exterior! 
In front is an open space, paved with flat stone, 787 feet in diam- 
eter, with an obelisk in the center, and a fountain on either side. 
What colonnades! On the right and left, as you enter, stand 
four rows of colonnades, forty-eight feet high, with a semicircu- 
lar setting, forty-five feet from the inner to the outer row. Be- 
tween the middle rows is the driveway to the end of the porch of 
the church on the left, and to the entrance of the Vatican on the 
right. 

A mass of ungainly buildings stands before us, surmounted by 
an immense dome, which when seen from afar looks like a huge 
haystack, with four smaller ones around it. 

What views one gets from the "ball''' above the dome of St. 
Peter's! The magnificent landscape of the Eternal City, the 
Campagna, the Apennines, the Albanian hills, and the distant 
Mediterranean Sea, lie in entrancing beauty before the eyes. 
What a facade! Three hundred and seventy-nine feet long, fifty 
feet wide, and one hundred and forty-eight feet high. The porch 
is ninety-two and one-half feet high, supported by columns eight 
and three-quarter feet in diameter. 

It took three hundred and fifty years, extending through the 
reign of forty-three Popes, to build St. Peter's. The building 
was begun in 1450, and completed in 1800. It cost $60,000,000. 
The expense was met by the sale of "Sinful Indulgences." 

It seems remarkable that the erection of a church called St. 
Peter's should give Protestantism to the world; but such is the 
fact. 

Everything about it is massive. It is almost one-half larger 
than St. Paul's, in London. It has 290 windows, 748 columns, 
47 altars, 380 statues. The floors are of the finest of variegated 
marble, beautifully designed. The decorations are of choice 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



159 



stone and marble. What an interior! One hesitates to enter, 
and halts on the threshold. Lord Byron wrote: 

"Enter; its grandeur overwhelms thee not; 
And why? it is not lessened; but thy mind, 
Expanded by the genius of the spot, 
Has grown colossal, and can only find 
A fit abode wherein appear enshrined 
Thy hopes of immortality; and thou 
Shalt one day, if found worthy, so defined, 
See thy God face to face, as thou dost now 
His Holy of Holies, nor be blasted by his brow." 

What magnificence! The gilding of the high altar under the 
dome cost $100,000. 

On a platform breast high, just to the right of this altar, sit- 
ting in a chair, is the bronze statue of St. Peter, with the right 
leg crossed over the other and foot extended, the toes of which 
have been renewed three times; yet were nearly worn away by 
the continual friction from the personal contact of visitors. The 
devotee kneels before the image, makes a cross on his breast, then 
rises and wipes the foot with his handkerchief, sleeve, or hand; 
then touches the forehead, kisses the foot, and walks away. This 
has been going on for ages. One continual stream of people 
from day to day, week to week, month to month, year after year, 
has thus paid its respects to St. Peter. 

I saw cardinals, bishops, priests, laymen, all classes of society, 
and of either sex and of every nationality, connected with the 
Roman Catholic Church, bow before the ugly image of St. Peter. 

One day an old lady, very much bent with age, after bowing 
and counting her beads for an unusual length of time, took hold 
of the foot, and endeavored to pull herself up so as to kiss it; but 
could not. Her tears were flowing freely. I wanted to give her a 
"boost;" but dared not. 

The Catacombs are the burial-places of the early Christians, 
and consist of an immense network of subterranean passages, 
intersecting each other at all angles. These begin about three 
miles beyond the walls of the city, on either side, and underlie 
a large area. Sixty have been discovered, whose passages are 
believed to be nearly six hundred miles long. These passage- 
11 



l6o ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

ways are from three to five feet wide and eight feet high, with 
an average of from three to five graves, one above the other, on 
each side, with the front closed with a marble slab, or tile. On 
most of them were appropriate inscriptions. 

It is estimated that six millions of people were interred in the 
Catacombs before the close of the sixth century, after which 
Christians were allowed to bury above ground. 

There are numerous rooms, twelve by fourteen, or larger, on 
whose walls are fresco paintings of Scriptural scenes, and prac- 
tices of the early Church : such as teaching the Catechumens, 
preaching the Word, administering the Lord's Supper, baptizing 
converts and children. 

My second day in Rome was spent in visiting the Catacomb 
of St. Callixtus. A party of seven procured carriages, and drove 
out the ''Via Appia" for three miles, passing numerous mau- 
soleums, mostly in ruins. 

This "Via Appia" was paved with flat stone, with gutters on 
either side, and closed with stone set on the outer edge. The road 
was commenced 312 B. C, one mile within the ancient wall, and 
ran to Brundusium, with a branch to Puteoli. 

Our guide through the tombs seemed to be out of humor, and 
rushed along so rapidly that we saw very little to satisfaction. 

My second visit was made February 4, 1873, with a solitary 
companion. We secured a different guide, and with lighted 
candles descended a long flight of wooden stairs, the door having 
been locked behind us. Passage after passage was gone through, 
room after room visited, following this way and that way, a laby- 
rynth of streets cut in the tufa rock. The air was good and walks 
dry. We are weary and hungry with these hours of walking, 
and ask each other: "Suppose our guide gets lost? How will 
we ever get out?" At last w T e ascend a long stairway; not the 
same that we descended. The guide unlocks a rude door, and 
extends an open palm; we drop our loose change therein, ascend 
a short flight of stairs, and step out into the sunlight, thankful 
that we live in an age of civil and religious liberty. 

Among the scenes illustrated on those catacomb walls were: 
Daniel in the lion's den; Jonah leaping to land from the fish's 
mouth; Jesus, the great Shepherd, carrying a lamb on his shoul- 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



161 



der; a minister, with a small babe on his left arm, with his right 
hand extended toward a bowl of water held by his assistant, and 
the parents standing before him; John the Baptist, standing in 
water ankle-deep, and with a branch in his right hand, baptizing 
the people who are standing along the shore. Another scene is 
pictured on those walls, of deep interest. Sky, land, and water 
is portrayed, with John the Baptist standing in the water a little 
above the ankle, with Jesus beside him not quite to the ankle, 
John is baptizing him with "the hyssop branch," according to 
the Jewish custom, by sprinkling the water over him. A dove 
descends upon him, and a voice from heaven says, "This is," etc. 

Nowhere in the illustrations of the Catacombs can there be 
found any allusion to baptism by immersion. If this was the 
practice of the early Church, it is strange that we find no refer- 
ence thereto on these underground walls. 

The third day I visited the Vatican, which stands on the 
north side of St. Peter's, and is said to contain 4,422 rooms; 
quite enough for one single gentleman to occupy! This mass of 
buildings inclose a garden, in which are flowers, a fountain, and 
sunny walks. The Vatican galleries contain some of the finest 
paintings and statuary in the world. These are thrown open to 
the public on certain days of the week. The Vatican library has 
a rare collection of valuable manuscripts, reaching back to the 
earlier times before the days of printing. In the picture gallery 
are two masterpieces; that of "St. Jerome," by Guido, and the 
"Transfiguration," by Raphael. One never tires looking at these. 
In the Vatican chapel is a very much smoked painting of the 
"Day of Judgment." 

Byron pictures a group that, once seen, can never be for- 
gotten : 

"Or, turning to the Vatican, go see 
Laocoon's torture dignifying pain — 
A father's love and mortal's agony 
With an immortal's patience blending; vain 
The struggle; vain against the coiling strain, 
And grip, and deepening of the dragon's grasp, 
The old man's clench; the long envenomed chain 
Rivets the living links — the enormous asp 
Enforces pang on pang, and stifles gasp on gasp." 



162 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



A father attempts to rescue his two sons from the coils of a 
serpent, becomes entangled therewith, and perishes with them. 

The Castle of St. Angelo stands on the west bank of the Tiber, 
and is connected with the Vatican by an elevated but covered 
passageway. 

"The Roman Forum," a paved, open court, where the ques- 
tions of the day were discussed and decided, was at the south- 
eastern base of "Mons Capitolinus." The "Via Sacra" led there- 
from in a southeasterly and southerly direction until it inter- 
sected the "Via Appia." 

On a slight elevation, the "Sacred Way" is spanned by the 
"Arch of Titus," which commemorates his conquest and victory 
over the Jews at Jerusalem. This "Arch" has stood for over 
eighteen hundred years, a monument to the truthfulness of the 
Christian records. 

Jesus predicted that Jerusalem would be overthrown, and the 
Temple demolished; all of which was fulfilled through the agency 
of the Roman General Titus, though he knew nothing of the pre- 
diction. Then the Roman Senate, erected this "Arch," or monu- 
ment, to commemorate the event. Underneath the arch are en- 
graved, in bas-relief, a seven-branched candlestick, table, and 
trumpets, all borne on the shoulders of captives. 

A little farther on, where the "Via Sacra" turns to the south, 
there stands the "Arch of Constantine," and to the left of this the 
Coliseum. The whole superficial area covered by this last is six 
acres. There are three orders of architecture in the four stories: 
the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The two upper are alike. In 
each of the lower tiers were eighty arches. The arena was 278 
feet long and 177 feet wide. Here thousands of Christians were 
torn to pieces by wild beasts, and the gladiatorial combats took 
place to amuse the eighty-seven thousand spectators. The 
statue of the Dying Gladiator is thus pictured by Byron: 

"I see before me the gladiator lie; 
He leans upon his hand — his manly brow 
Consents to death, but conquers agony, 
And his droop'd head sinks gradually low — 
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



163 



From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one, 
Like the first of a thunder shower; and now 
The arena swims around him: he is gone, 
Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the wretch who won. 

But where his rude hut by the Danube lay, 
There were the young barbarians all at play, 
There were their Dacian mother — he their sire, 
Butchered to make a Roman holiday." 

In the very heart of modern Rome stands one of the most 
interesting edifices of the ancient city, almost as perfect as when 
built nineteen hundred years ago. The Pantheon, which was 
built by Agrippa twenty-seven years before Christ, is round, one 
hundred and forty-two feet in diameter, and the same in height. 
It is lighted by an aperture through the center of the dome, 
twenty-eight feet across. It was used as a heathen temple until 
A. D. 608, when it was consecrated as a Christian church. Six 
hundred and thirty-five years of its existence it was devoted to 
heathen worship, and for one thousand two hundred and eighty- 
nine years to professedly Christian. And yet this magnificent 
temple bids defiance to the ravages of war, the vandalism of man, 
the destructive power of the elements, and retains its original 
appearance, thus forming a link between that which is past, 
present, and to come. When shall its sacred walls resound to a 
pure gospel, and from its consecrated altars go forth new-born 
souls? 

The Aurora, by Guido, Byron says, 

"Alone 

"Is worth a tour to Rome." 

Aurora is represented scattering flowers before the chariot of 
the sun, drawn by four horses. Seven female figures, in the most 
graceful action, surround the chariot, and typify the advance 
of the Hours. The composition is extremely beautiful, and the 
coloring brilliant. 

One day as I was crossing the Capitoline Hill Square, I saw a 
crowd of people looking toward the front entrance of a large 
church. The door soon opened, when out marched gilded- 
robed priests, carrying crucifixes and burning candles. The 



164 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



middle one bore a large wax "Doll," with sandy hair and gorge- 
ous decorations. 

This mass of people then fell on their knees, and crossed them- 
selves, almost touching the pavement with their foreheads. Not 
knowing what it all meant, and not wishing to be disrespectful, 
I removed my hat, and stood erect viewing the scene. Just then 
some acquaintances came up, who understood it all. They said, 
"Follow us." We hastened through a side-door of the church, 
and were standing within touching distance of the "Doll," when 
the procession returned, chanting doleful music. This "Doll" is 
believed to possess healing qualities of no ordinary character, 
and this was the anniversary of its exhibition. "Santissimo Bam- 
bino" 

I have often been asked, "Did you see the Pope?" I saw him, 
as I looked down from one of the upper windows into the Vat- 
ican garden, passing from one entrance to another. I could have 
been introduced to him had I signed a card, on which were 
printed, as near as I can now recall, the following words: 

"You (do) hereby acknowledge Pope Pius the IX to be the 
Viceregent of Almighty God, both of the Catholic and of the 
Protestant Churches; if a Catholic, when introduced you must 
bow before him and kiss his foot; if a Protestant, kneel and kiss 
his hand." I said at once, "I will never do it, as I acknowledge 
no such authority." 

In the twilight of the early morning of February 5, 1873, I 
left the Imperial City of Rome, bound for Naples and its match- 
less surroundings. 

The long line of brick arches that bestride the "Campagna" 
were soon passed. Before the Romans learned that water would 
seek its own level, they conveyed water to the city along the 
tops of these arches, from the upper valley of the "Anio." Six 
miles of these arches are still standing. 

The day was balmy, scenery varied and beautiful. The ride 
was a charming one, through wooded hills, narrow vales, culti- 
vated fields, and lovely landscapes. Hill, valley and plain, air and 
sunshine, seemed to combine to make the trip enjoyable. 

Naples is delightfully situated on a semicircular bay of the 
same name, and has a population of over six hundred thousand. 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



165 



The city was founded by a Greek colony one thousand years 
before Christ. The streets are paved with square blocks of lava- 
stone laid in mortar, and are said to resemble the roads of the 
ancient Romans. The buildings are mostly of stone, large, and 
several stories high. They resemble those of Paris in archi- 
tecture. The ground floors are used for stores, and the upper 
ones for the homes of families. Owing to the mildness of the 
climate, a great deal of the business is transacted in the street. 
The "coral" trade is a specialty of Naples. 

The "Villa Reale," which stretches along the bay, is the great 
promenade on a sunny afternoon. Here are walks and drives, 
lined with exquisite statuary, shady trees, attractive shrubbery, 
and blooming flowers. The elite of Naples may here be seen 
in all their gay attire, especially when the band plays, which it 
usually does two or three times a week. 

Orange and lemon trees are quite common in and about the 
city, in the gardens, yards, groves, and often on the tops of the 
houses. The fruit can be seen in all stages of advancement, from 
the blossom to the ripened fruit. Peas, lettuce, and fresh vege- 
tables of all kinds were plentiful. 

Naples has three hundred churches, some of which are re- 
markable for their architecture and works of art; but travelers 
who have "done" the three hundred and sixty-five churches of 
Rome will not care to spend much time on those of Naples. The 
Italians generally make the outside of their churches unattractive, 
while the inside is finished and ornamented to suit the most ex- 
quisite taste and culture. 

"Santa Maria Delia Pistra di Sangri" is a private chapel, be- 
longing to a family of the nobility, and stands in an out-of-the- 
way place, which is difficult to find. 

The approach is by a narrow back street. The building looks 
more like a barn than a church. Beside a small door hangs a 
wire; pull it, and patiently wait. When the custodian appears, 
fee him, and he will admit you and retire. 

This chapel has many objects of interest. I will mention only 
three. "Vice Conceived," or "Man escaping from the meshes of 
sin." The marble statue represents a man entangled in a large 
net, which encircles him. Beside him stands a bony old man, 



1 



i66 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



who is aiding him to escape. The net and statue are sculptured 
from the same piece of marble, yet scarcely touch. The work 
was done by Queirolo. 

On the opposite side of the room stands "Modesty Veiled." 
The statue is that of a beautiful woman, from real life; the wife 
of the man endeavoring to escape from the meshes of sin. A thin 
marble veil covers the statue, which is in full dress, and yet the 
form is distinct in all its outlines. This work of art is by Corodini. 

On a lower floor, in a small room with skylight, lies the 
marble statue of "The Dead Christ Veiled," resting on a couch 
of marble. The pillow is of exquisite workmanship, fringed with 
beautiful lace. Near the foot is a crown of thorns, a broken 
sword, and three nails carved out of the same material. The en- 
tire body is covered with a veil of marble, which appears slightly 
moistened by the perspiration of death. Through the veil there 
may be distinguished the form and even the muscles of the body. 
The simplicity, beauty, and naturalness of the whole seems so 
real, that one finds it difficult to control the emotions — a tear 
unbidden is quite sure to fall. This statue was designed and 
begun by Corodini in 175 1, but was completed by Joseph Sam- 
martino. 

Whoever gazes upon these statues with a devout heart, will 
never forget them. The impression for good is lasting. 

"The Museo Internationale" contains much that is interesting 
and instructive; but space forbids an attempt at description. In 
one room are several loaves of bread, four inches thick and the 
size of a pieplate, burned to a crisp. The Pompeian baker left 
them in the oven too long — seventeen hundred years was entirely 
too long! 

A visit is made to Pozzuoli, the Puteoli of Paul's day, and 
mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. We pass the mouth of 
"Virgil's Tomb,'' and enter the "Grotto of Posilippo," which is 
a tunnel cut through a rocky ridge, twenty-five feet wide, sev- 
enty-five feet high, and one-half mile long. On our way out 
we met a cart, on which were riding seventeen men, women, and 
children, all drawn by one horse, and he not a large one at that! 
They were a jolly crowd. 

Puteoli, once the commercial harbor of Rome, was one 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



I6 7 



hundred and thirty-seven miles distant, and the terminus of one 
branch of the "Via Appia," some of which may there be seen. 
Here was then a large city; only a few hundred inhabitants re- 
main. Earthquakes have so often rocked its foundations that 
most people prefer a place of more secure foundations for an 
abode. 

Paul tarried here "seven days," to instruct and encourage 
the brethren before starting for Rome. 

A portion of the old "Roman Pier," and of the "Temple of 
Jupiter Serapis" remain. The Amphitheater is well preserved. 
There are the ruins of public baths, temples, and piles of stone 
and brick, covered with dirt or overrun with ivy, the remains 
of fallen greatness. 

"Solfaterra" is a half-extinct volcano, once active, but com- 
paratively quiet since 79 A. D. A portion of the rim has fallen 
across the mouth of the crater, and from a crack steam is issuing 
as from a boiler. Small trees and bushes are growing thereon. 
We gathered our arms full of twigs and leaves as we walked 
across the crater to the small opening, near that portion which 
was standing upright. Here we deposited them, about two feet 
from the opening, and set them on fire with a match. Quickly 
the smoke and steam issued from porous places in the highest 
cliff. All around the ground seemed spongey. Midway across 
the crater lay a round stone. We raised this, and dropped it with 
all possible force a few times, when the ground began to quiver, 
showing that it was hollow underneath. The sensation produced 
was not the most pleasant, and made one feel like escaping for 
his life: 

"Grotto Del Cani" looks like a prospect hole, in the side of a 
hill, four feet wide, eight feet high, and ten feet long, the bot- 
tom of which is porous, and through which carbonic-acid gas 
escapes at the rate of two hundred thousand pounds annually. 
No animal can live any length of time within this "Grotto." A 
dog placed there dies; but removed soon to the open air, recovers. 
A lighted torch is quickly extinguished by the gas. Powder 
will not explode therein. A pistol can not be fired within its 
influence. When standing in the tunnel, a sleepy stupor comes 
over you. It is called "The Tunnel of the Dog." 



i68 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



In the morning, February 11, 1873, we by rail for Pom- 
peii. The day was all that could be desired. The distance from 
Naples is fourteen and one-quarter miles. The ride is delightful, 
through cultivated fields and gardens along the bay. Mr. Robin- 
son, of Oswego, N. Y., was my associate. This was his third 
visit. At 9.30 A. M., we stepped from the train, and hastened up 
an incline to the entrance, and paid two francs each. The Italian 
Government furnished a guard to conduct us through the city, 
and to see that we did not carry it or any of its contents away. 

From the hour of entrance, until we were driven out by a 
squad of soldiers late in the afternoon, we were without food or 
drink, yet were on the move all the time, going from one point of 
interest to another. 

Pompeii is about one mile east of the Bay of Naples, on a 
slight elevation. Of its early history little is known. It once was 
a place of resort for the wealthy Romans, and a city, in its day, 
of considerable importance. It was encircled by a wall two miles 
in circumference. This wall was twenty feet thick and twenty 
feet high, faced with lava-stone. There were six gates, and the 
same number of watch-towers on the wall. 

An earthquake damaged the city very much on February 5, 
A. D. 63. On August 24, A. D. 79, a terrific eruption of Vesuvius 
occurred, and buried Pompeii thirty feet deep with hot ashes, 
blown from the crater. It now looks to the observer like it was 
done on purpose. The site of the place was unknown for more 
than sixteen hundred years. Fields were cultivated, crops grown, 
orchards and vineyards planted, and houses built over it. In 
1755 excavations began, and when I was there about one-third 
of the city had been uncovered. In the autumn of 1864 upwards 
of two hundred skeletons were found in the Temple of Juno. 
Quite a number have been found in other parts of the city. Most 
of the inhabitants were at the Amphitheater, witnessing a per- 
formance when the calamity began; hence escaped with their 
lives. The plan of Pompeii was regular. The streets were nar- 
row, not more than eight feet across, but mostly at right angles, 
and were paved with large, flat lava-stone. The sidewalks were 
on an average three feet wide and one foot high, with stepping- 
stones set on edge at the crossings. There were no gutters, or 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



169 



means of drainage. In the main streets ruts were worn in the 
hard pavement, two or more inches deep, by their chariot-wheels. 
At some of the street-corners there were wells, with large flag- 
ging-stone set on edge for the curbing. Deep creases were worn 
in these by the cord used in drawing water. 

The old gate was strong and massive, arched overhead, and 
had a stone set on edge across it, to step over. A small museum 
at the right, on the inside, contained objects of real interest. 
Among these were several bodies of men and women, covered 
with gray ashes, burnt into the flesh. These lay on iron frames. 
One was so arranged that you could walk underneath it. In size 
they appeared about the average of people of to-day. On one 
woman's uplifted hand was a gold ring. She had good teeth. 
The mills for grinding grain were cut out of granite, like huge 
coffee-cups, one turned over the other. The top one had a hole 
in the bottom, into which the grain was fed. In the sides of the 
upper one were two holes, through which sticks were thrust, by 
which the stone was turned for grinding purposes. They had no 
means of separating the bran from the flour. The oven, when 
discovered, was full of burnt bread. 

The houses were built of stone or brick, plastered with a very 
hard cement, which was ornamented on the inside with various 
styles of paintings, in harmony, no doubt, with the custom of 
the age and the taste of the occupant. Some of these would 
hardly be "in style" in our day. 

Their houses were plain, seldom more than two stories high, 
and had all their good apartments on the ground floor. The best 
houses were built around an open court, or hollow square, which 
was laid out with beautiful patterns of mosaics. Usually in the 
center was a fountain, with trees and flowers growing by it. As a 
rule, the rooms all opened into this court, and not into each other. 

The public bath-house is preserved entire; even the walls, 
ceilings, floor, and the lead-pipes that let the water in and out. 

The Temple of Augustus was decorated with fresco paintings. 
There is one of Ulysses in disguise, meeting Penelope on his 
return from Ithaca. 

One public house was closed by a rough, modern door, and 
had no occupants. The guard unlocked the door, and bade us 



170 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

enter, locking it behind us. Here was a narrow hall, with three 
rooms on a side, and a larger one at the far end. These rooms 
were perhaps a little over six feet square, with an elevation three 
feet high and three feet wide, at one end of which was a pillow 
six inches high, like a stovepipe. All of the inside was plastered 
over with cement, on which were painted the forms of nude per- 
sons in various attitudes. 

In the house of "Pansa" four female bodies were found. In 
the soldiers' barracks sixty-three bodies and numerous military 
relics were uncovered. 

The Herculaneum gate has a central archway, fifteen feet 
wide and twenty feet high, with alternate layers of brick and lava- 
stone. Over the top, on the outside, is a marble sun-dial. The 
stone sentinel-box still stands where the sentinel was on duty 
for over seventeen hundred years, before he was relieved! Be- 
side the street leading northward were many tombs and monu- 
ments. In a garden was found Diomedes, the owner of the villa, 
and his attendant; one holding the keys, and the other a bag 
of gold coins. On these can be seen the names of Nero, Vitellius, 
Vespasian, and Titus. 

Amulets, true to nature, made out of burnt clay, were worn 
by some of the women of Pompeii. I do not like to think that 
all females wore them. 

They believed in advertising their business, no matter what 
it was; and placed their advertisements often beside the door- 
way, or in the pavement before the entrance. Some of these re- 
main to this day. In a few instances the name of some former 
occupant may be seen in the sidewalk in front of the building. 
As we pass through the paved streets of Pompeii we see shops, 
where the mechanic applied his art; stores, where goods and 
oils were sold; bakeries, with their mills, ovens, and kneading- 
troughs of stone, where the flour was made and bread baked; 
forums, where the populace gathered for news and discussions; 
temples, where they made their offerings and paid their devotions 
to some deity. The amphitheater, open to the sky, has fifty-five 
rows of seats, one rising above and back of the other. This 
building is more ancient than the Coliseum at Rome, and better 
preserved. It is said to have seated ten thousand persons. 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



171 



In these descriptions here given we have a picture of a Ro- 
man city as it was eighteen hundred years ago, minus the in- 
habitants. So real does it seem that you can hardly imagine 
why the people do not step out and greet you as you walk along. 
One is strongly impressed as he strolls through these streets that 
human nature has been the same in all ages; only some a little 
more so. 

The customs of this country, as well as the personal habits of 
the people, differ widely from those with which we are acquainted 
here. 




FUNERAI, PROCESSION. 



Funerals are not conducted in Italy as they are with us. Trie 
bier is borne on the shoulders of four masked men, followed by, 
perhaps, thirty more, wearing masks. The covering consists of 
white cotton cloth placed over the entire body, with round holes 
cut out for the eyes and mouth, in order to see and breathe 
through. These men go to the house, if in Florence, at one 
o'clock A. M.; if in Naples, at one o'clock P. M. (that being the 
hour set). In the former I was often awakened by their chants 
as they marched slowly through the streets, with lighted candles. 
In the latter I have frequently seen them by daylight. These 



172 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ghostly-looking men are unknown to the relatives of the de- 
ceased. All eyes are upon them as they go marching slowly 
along the center of the street to the place of burial. 

The volcano of Vesuvius stands about ten miles southeast 
of Naples. Solitary and alone, it rises with a gentle slope upward 
to the base of the "cone," which is without a tree or shrub; a 
dark mass of lava-stone and ashes, not unlike the "scoria" of an 
iron furnace. Its height is 3,400 feet above the bay. The cir- 
cumference of the base is about thirty miles. The mountain 
divides at a certain elevation into two summits, Somma and 
Vesuvius proper. The "cone" rises fourteen hundred feet, and is 
three-fourths of a mile across, and about three miles around the. 
base. The basin is not less than two hundred feet deep. Smoke 
always arises therefrom. 

Its first eruption occurred August 24, A. D. 79. In the morn- 
ing it was in comparative repose, but during the day a huge 
black cloud rose from the mountain; stones, ashes, and pumice 
were poured down from it on all sides. Pompeii, four miles 
south, was buried thirty feet deep with hot, loose ashes. Hercu- 
laneum, at its northwestern base, was covered with a torrent of 
mud, which hardened into rock, with subsequent additions, eighty 
to one hundred feet deep. It is said that the elder Pliny lost his 
life in endeavoring to rescue the inhabitants. There have been 
sixty great, and numerous smaller, eruptions since A. D. 472, 
when the eruption was so great that the ashes fell even at Con- 
stantinople, and caused great alarm there. In 1777 jets of liquid 
lava were thrown to the height of ten thousand feet, presenting 
the appearance of a column of fire. Sixteen years after, millions 
of hot stone were shot up into the air, and then fell, covering half 
the cone with fire. 

My associate saw the eruption of April 25 to May 2, 1872. 
All business in Naples was suspended for seven days. Ashes 
fell everywhere. People were out watching the sight with um- 
brellas over their heads. The sun seemed in an eclipse. Columns 
of dense, white smoke, like fleeces of wool, ascended to the height 
of five thousand feet, attended by earthquake shocks and a deaf- 
ening roar like millions of claps of thunder; while clouds of 
ashes, dust, and stones were carried the distance of ten miles, 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



173 



and a broad stream of red-hot lava ran down on the north side 
of the mountain, miles in length, about one-fourth of a mile wide, 
and of unknown depth. It swept through a village, leaving a 
few houses on one side of the stream, and not many on the other. 
This was still hot and steaming, with great cracks in the surface. 

February 12th, with Mr. Hunter, a bright young Scotchman, 
who was teaching in Naples and spoke the Italian fluently, as 
my guide, I started out to explore Vesuvius. Fifteen minutes 
ride on the cars brought us to Portici, a village of two thousand 
people, at the base of Vesuvius. We needed no guide, as Mr. 

H had been there twice before. We determined to ascend 

on foot. Yet we were thronged with beggars and would-be 
guides, which increased at every corner. It seemed to me that 
no man ever saw the like. To give to each was to give all we 

had. They, would not be shaken off, until Mr. H happened 

to think of one Italian word, which, when pronounced with a 
sharp accent, sent them adrift. "Ridicelo" was the magic word. 
I always found it effectual afterward. One, however, staid with 
us until we descended from the cone. The ascent is gradual, 
through cultivated fields and vineyards, for about three miles. 
The soil here produces three crops a year. Passing the cultivated 
portion, we come to the lava-beds, black, rough, and forbidding, 
cracked and smoking. On a ridge stands the "Hermitage," 
where the weary traveler may rest and be refreshed. A good 
wagon-road leads thus far; but we did not follow it only a small 
part of the way. Here is also an observatory and a telegraph 
office to report the doings of Vesuvius. Above the lava-fields 
the surface is extremely rough to the base of the "cone," which 
rises fourteen hundred feet, and very steep, at an angle of forty- 
five degrees. Its sides are covered with burnt cinders and crum- 
bling ashes. The ascent is very tiresome and difficult. 

Men were there with long straps around the waist for others 
to hold to; others with splint-bottom chairs, with arm-rests, and 
three men to carry you up for a consideration. Spurning all 
aids, being the first to reach this elevation, we began slowly 
to ascend, resting every few steps. It took us just one hour and 
ten minutes to reach the top, or edge, of that smoking caldron. 
The sides of the cone were quite warm, but not hot enough to 



174 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



burn. In a crevice, near the top, paper took hre and burned. 
Four feet below the crater's edge is a sort of path worn by pil- 
grims. We attempted to go around the crater, but failed on ac- 
count of the sulphurous smoke, which nearly suffocated us. A 
stone thrown in increased the volume of smoke, and caused pul- 
sations to be visibly felt; especially when repeated several times. 

The view was grand. Northward the eye followed the stream 
of lava, still smoking, out through fields and vineyards; beyond 
stands the city of Naples; southward, Pompeii and the region 
round about; westward, the bay and distant islands; eastward, 
Mount Somma and a sterile waste of lava matter. 

Sitting close to the edge of the cone, we saw a little tunnel- 
shaped whirl start way out on the Bay of Naples, and determined 
to see what it would amount to. Round and round the cloud 
went. Soon it started toward Vesuvius, where we sat watching 
it. It moved rapidly, increasing in size with its spiral motion, up 
the slope, covering the mountain with a sprinkle of snow, and 
crossed the crater before us, emptying it of its smoke, when we 
were able to look to the very depths thereof. The slope on the 
inside was gentle, and covered with white ashes. The commotion 
at the bottom was like molten metal boiling, and was perhaps one 
hundred feet across. We said, "What a good place to commit 
suicide!" We did not do it, however. 

The descent was made along the bed of gray ashes, in five 
or seven minutes, to the base of the cone. Between that and the 
Hermitage we met several parties toiling slowly upward. 

All traces of Herculaneum were lost for centuries. A city of 
three thousand people had been built over its buried site. One 
day an energetic man determined to dig a well, and down through 
the lava-rock he went for one hundred feet, when he came upon 
the stone seats of a theater. Then he and others recollected that 
Herculaneum was buried somewhere near, and this must be it. 
Then excavations began, which were expensive and difficult, 
owing to the solidity of the rock. A portion of the theater and 
one or two of the streets have been uncovered. We stood on the 
rostrum, where the actors performed for the amusement of the 
populace eighteen centuries ago, and sat on the stone seats where 
their hearers listened; also walked along the few uncovered 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



175 



streets, when we took the train for Naples, weary and tired with 
our day's exertions. 

Some one has well said : 

"This region, surely, is not of earth. 
Was it not dropped from heaven? Not a grove, 
Citron, or pine, or cedar; not a grot, 
Seaworn and mantled with the gadding vine, 
But breathes enchantment. Not a cliff but flings 
On the clear wave some image of delight, 
Some cabin-roof glowing with crimson flowers, 
Some ruined temple or fallen monument, 
To muse on as the bark is gliding by. 

Yet here methinks 
Truth wants no ornament in her own shape, 
Filling the mind by turns with awe and love, 
By turns inclining to wild ecstacy 
And soberest meditation." 

Orient. — From Naples to Brindisi is about twelve hours' 
ride. The country most of the way is well cultivated, and dotted 
with olive, fig, peach, and a few apple trees. Though it was on 
the 13th of February, many of the trees were in bloom. Much 
of the way the land was rolling, and in some places quite stohy. 
The people had a woe-begone look. 

We sailed from Brindisi, Italy, February 14, 1873, for the 
Island of Corfu, where we spent the afternoon of the 15th and 
16th. The island is wooded, and makes a charming spot to live. 
It is quite a place of resort for Europeans during the winter. 
We found excellent accommodations at Hotel St. George. At 
one o'clock A. M. of the 17th, we stepped on board one of the 
Austin Lloyd steamers for Alexandria, Egypt. For two days we 
sailed along the coast of Greece and the Island of Crete, where 
Paul once desired to winter. After an exceedingly rough pas- 
sage, — how the ship Minerva did rock, pitch, and tumble! — we 
reached the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria on the morning 
of the 20th, where a number of steamships and sailing-vessels 
were riding at anchor. For three days the sea had been so rough 
that none had entered the harbor. Ours, coming up under a full 
head of steam, was in the advance. The pilot-boat passed us to 
conduct one of Her Majesty's ships into port, before accommo- 



176 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



dating us, when our German captain gave the order to go 
ahead. 

The view, on approaching the level shores of Egypt, from the 
sea, is unique. Gradually a column seems to rise out of the 
water, then the wind-mills emerge from the same watery bed; on 
the extreme left rises the Pasha's palace and harem, while gleam- 
ing sandbanks fill up the intervals. 

We had scarcely dropped anchor when Arab boatmen came 
rushing on board like a swarm of bees. Each wore a turban, but 
the balance of his clothing was not overly abundant. Rain was 
falling, but they did not mind that. Three of us engaged our 
passage to the shore for three francs (sixty cents). On the dock 
we presented our passports to the officials. The custom-house 
officers examined our luggage, when we were allowed to pass 
through a great iron gate into a muddy street, where we engaged 
a carriage, and were conveyed to our hotel for two francs. 

Alexandria has a population of nearly three hundred thousand 
souls. Its inhabitants are a mixture of all nationalities. The 
streets of the older portion are extremely filthy, while the newer 
are more cleanly. English merchants do most of the trade of 
Alexandria. The Orient is a fruitful field for English enterprise. 
An Arab salesman is the very picture of resignation, as he awaits 
his customers in a sitting posture. 

We stand under the shadow of Pompey's Pillar, which rises 
one hundred feet high. This is a monolith, ten feet in diameter, 
of red granite, round and polished, where it has stood for over 
sixteen hundred years. 

Cleopatra's Needle is a solid obelisk of red granite, cut from 
top to bottom with symbolic characters. Its mate was discovered 
about fifty years ago, and both brought over one hundred miles 
from the city of On, where Moses was educated. How such 
masses were transported from their original bed can not be ex- 
plained; yet Pharaonic engineers accomplished the feat. One 
was presented by Mohammed Ali to the English Government, 
and the other to the United States of America. Hence one 
stands in London, England, and the other in Central Park, New 
York. These monoliths are seventy feet long, seven feet six 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



177 



inches square at the base, and are more than three thousand 
years old. 

In the center of the city is an oblong public square, sur- 
rounded by trees and posts connected by an endless chain. At 
either extremity is a fountain of water. Here Arabs perform 
their ablutions at sunrise or sundown. Modesty is an unknown 
quality in their personality! 

The Arabs bury their dead at almost any hour of the day. 
The body is placed in a rough box, with an upright post at one 
end, on which hangs the red fez, or veil, to distinguish the sex. 
This box is borne on a bier, carried on the shoulders of four 
stout men, who are surrounded by a motley group chanting a 
wail of some kind, without any solemnity whatever. They hurry 
through the street rapidly to the vault, where the body is de- 
posited without any coffin. These arched graves are covered on 
the outside with a white cement. At early dawn groups may be 
seen weeping and wailing over the graves of the recently de- 
parted. 

In the shop windows may be seen any article of attire, for 
male or female, known to Occidental or Oriental nations, on sale. 

Alexandria was the birthplace of Apollos, an eloquent man 
and mighty in the Scriptures, unto whom "Aquila and Priscilla 
expounded the way of God more perfectly" (Acts xviii, 24, 26), 
when at Ephesus. 

Here the most celebrated library of the world was destroyed 
by fire, December 22, A. D. 640, under the direction of the Arab 
General Amron. Seven hundred thousand volumes were con- 
sumed. 

For three afternoons we witnesed a Roman carnival. Masked 
men, women, and children paraded the streets, wearing every 
conceivable costume; some on foot, others on horseback or in 
buggies, pelting each other and the many onlookers with peas 
and beans as they passed along the line of march. All business 
was suspended after three P. M. When the carnival was over, 
the streets were literally covered with peas and beans. This was 
a harvest for the poor, who soon gathered and saved every one. 
Surely there was enough to keep them in soup for a year! 



i 7 8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Cairo is one hundred and thirty miles from Alexandria by 
rail. The soil is a black loam, and nearly level. There are here 
three seasons, vegetation, harvest, and waters. Wheat matures 
in three and one-half months; corn in ninety days. Clover is cut 
from six to eight times a year, and is carried to market on the 
backs of camels, tied on with long ropes. 

On our way to Cairo we were reminded of that passage of 
Scripture, "Be ye not unequally yoked together," by seeing an 
ox and camel yoked together, plowing. 

The houses were built of mud, and stood in clusters, some 
with oval roofs, and others flat. People were thinly clad. Before 
reaching Cairo we beheld the Pyramids, appearing like they 
were set against the sky, as we were on lower ground. 

Cairo has a mixed population of Moors, Greeks, Turks, Jews, 
Armenians, and Copts. The city is divided into five quarters, — 
the Jewish, the Armenian, the Arabic, the Coptic, and Frank, or 
European. 

The streets in the old part are crooked, narrow, unpaved, 
covered, and filthy. In the newer parts they are wide, straight, 
or circular, shaded and airy. In making these changes in the 
streets, if the Pasha took over one-half of a house he paid for it; 
if less, the owner must suffer the loss. 

A bazar is given up wholly to the manufacture and sale of 
one kind of goods; hence the silk bazar, the leather bazar, etc. 
These are very busy places from morning to night. It is next 
to impossible to get through them. A runner precedes the car- 
riage, calling out, like John the Baptist, to "Prepare the way of 
the Lord." Donkey-riding, with a boy trotting along behind, is 
exceedingly common. Some of these little fellows have a bad 
habit. They will be jogging along ever so nicely, when suddenly 
they have stopped, that they may see their faces reflected in a 
pool of water. The rider, unfortunately, goes on, and finds 
himself smeared with water and mud! The donkey never smiles 
at the mishap, though others do. The women carry their babies 
nearly naked when old enough to ride, sitting astride the shoulder 
with their little hands on the mother's head. Many of the s reets 
and ordinary roads are watered by men with goatskins. V omen 
« carry water in jars on their heads; hence are as straight as r >ws. 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



179 



The Copts are the descendants of the ancient Egyptians, and 
have a corrupt form of Christianity. We attended one of their 
Church services in St. Mark's Church. The building is very 
old, the floors carpeted; but has no seats. The men squatted 
like tailors on the floor, sandals off, but "fezes" on. The women 
were in the gallery, which was screened from the view of the 
men. All listened attentively to the reading of the lecture, or 
sermon. Two interesting young men spoke to us in fairly good 
English, and interpreted to us. After their services were over, 
we recommended a personal Christ to them. Before leaving we 
offered to pay them for their kindness, when one of them said, 
"I no take money when I talk God with you!' This was the only 
time I ever knew "backsheesh" to be refused. 

The Presbyterian Church is doing a noble work among this 
people and others in Egypt. We attended one of their services 
in a neat chapel. The regular missionary in charge was absent, 
but a native, with a red fez on his head, preached. The seventy 
who were present, like the preacher, wore the inseparable "red 
fez." The whole services were in Arabic. The only familiar 
thing were the tunes they sang, one of which w T as "Dundee." 
Their faces were sunny, and the service was cheerful. I still have 
one of the papers which they distributed. 

We visited the Nilometer, at the head of the Island of 
Rhoda, by which they determine in advance whether there is to 
be an abundant or a defective harvest. Anything under an 
eighteen-foot rise means famine; over twenty-four feet brings 
pestilence. The museum has many curios and some mummies. 
We made hurried visits to the Citadel and several mosques; the 
Shoobra Gardens, where is the beautiful palace of the Khedive, 
the chief functionary of Egypt. The surroundings transcend 
anything of the kind we had ever seen. There was a veritable 
forest of orange-trees, all ladened with ripe fruit, and around this 
grove ran a hedge of roses in full blossom, exhaling a delightful 
fragrance. There were fountains and statues of the rarest marble ; 
in short, everything that ornamental luxuriousness and prodi- 
gality could devise. The old sycamore-tree, where tradition says 
that Joseph and Mary rested with the infant Jesus; Heliopolis, 
once the educational center of Egypt, where Plato graduated 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and Joseph obtained his wife. Nothing remains of its ancient 
grandeur but mounds of earth and one obelisk, which is six feet 
two inches in diameter and seventy feet high. The base is 
twenty-five feet below the surrounding ground. Here it has 
stood for over thirty-six hundred years. It was there when Abra- 
ham went down into Egypt, when Joseph was taken there a 
captive, when Jacob and his family arrived, when the Babe of 
Bethlehem played near its base, when Job superintended the 
erection of the Pyramid of Cheops. Only a short distance from 
the obelisk we looked inside the dwelling-place of an Arab fam- 
ily. The mother, with a babe on her arm, stood in the door- 
way; but no door was there. For a small consideration she per- 
mitted us to look inside. The entrance hall was four feet wide, 
and perhaps ten feet long. On the left, four feet above the 
ground, was an elevated platform, partially inclosed. This was 
their sleeping apartments, without a window, door, or rag of 
bedding of any kind. At the end of the passage-way was a 
room, perhaps fourteen feet square, in which was a small fire- 
place, where a hen had just deposited an egg, and came off 
cackling. Not a chair, stool, table, cooking utensil, or a piece of 
furniture was in sight. This was a fair sample of an Arab's 
dwelling-place, which I learned from our dragoman and from 
other observations which I made at Bethel. The dragoman said 
that the whole family occupied the elevated platform at night 
for sleeping purposes, lying upon the smooth, hard surface, the 
only covering being the clothing of the day. Some of these 
platforms were arched underneath, so as to give a place for stor- 
ing provisions and cooking utensils. 

The excursion to the site of old "Memphis," the "Noph" of 
Scripture, was a novel one. There were six of us in the party, 
one of whom was guide, and three were donkeys. We rode four 
miles to Gaza, where we buy six tickets, all get on the cars, and 
ride nine miles; then we three rode the donkeys six miles to the 
bluffs, the site of old Memphis, where we found many mounds of 
earth, on which large palm-trees were growing. Not a building 
was left standing. We rode over the mounds and around among 
the palms, then to the tombs of the sacred ox. These are ex- 
cavated out of the limestone rock. We descended a long incline 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



181 



to the entrance hall, on either side of which are stalls, not unlike 
those of a livery stable, in which are the granite sarcophagi, pol- 
ished inside and out, in which the sacred animals were deposited 
after being embalmed. One of these, which I measured, was 
five feet wide, ten feet long, and five and one-half feet high. 
There were twenty-three vaults, and each held one of these granite 
chests. Whence came they? How were they transported here? 
The dead tell no secrets, and we pass on and visit old temples 
in ruins, whose walls were covered with rude paintings of rural 
scenes, customs, and practices of early times. 

On our return across the country, we rode through miles 
of palms. We saw a man picking dates, perhaps fifty feet from 
the ground. A hoop encircled both his body and the tree. With 
that he ascended or descends, and held himself in place, while he 
cut off the branches or leaves and let them fall. His feet rested 
against the body of the tree, and his body against the inside of the 
hoop. We passed a number of small villages, in which the 
houses were elevated six feet above the ground about them; so 
also were the passage-ways from one to the other. Beside one 
of these stood a woman, with a dusky infant babe on her arm. 
The child, a tiny thing, could not have been many days old. She 
held out its little hand, and said, "Hawaggah backsheesh." The 
guide, who was in the lead, shook his head, and said, "La, la, la." 
Next followed my traveling associate, the Rev. A. L. P. Loomis, 
a tall man, who also shook his head. Then came my turn, when 
to get rid of her I placed a small copper coin in its little hand. 
The mother at once lifted its nude form toward my mouth for a 
kiss. It is useless to say I was not in a kissing mood just then. 

As we were following a path across a field where grain had 
been sown on the subsiding waters, and trodden by driving cattle 
over it, we were reminded of that Scripture which reads, "Cast thy 
bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after many days." 
The path was rough, my donkey stumbled and fell, then rolled 
over on one side, bruising my knee badly. He would not get up, 
but held me fast with one leg under him, until the guide re- 
turned and helped him. That day we rode thirty-eight miles, 
and were very tired. 

The great Pyramid of Cheops stands on a bluff fourteen miles 



1 82 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

from, and a little to the southwest of, Cairo. A dike has been con- 
structed above high-water mark, with acacia-trees set along the 
edges, whose tops interlock and form an arbor most of the way. 

The largest pyramid is said to cover thirteen acres of ground, 
and is 746 feet along one side, and 450 feet high. Travelers 
are assisted in the ascent by Arabs, furnished by the "sheik " who 
is in charge of the pyramids. These assistants wear long, white 
frocks, like a night-shirt, with a turban on the head and a belt 
around the waist, into which the shirt is tucked when they get 
to the base of the pyramid, so as not to interfere with their 
climbing. The tiers of stone are, on an average, about waist- 
high, and the edges are very much crumbled off. The two 
assistants mount the first tier, and take the traveler by the hands; 
then, with his foot or knee raised to the edge of the stone on 
which they stand, they pull him up and land him there; then 
they mount the next tier, and so on up, step by step. The de- 
scent is made by the assistants going down one step in advance, 
when the traveler places one hand on each of their shoulders, 
and drops down to where they stand, and so on down all the way 
to the base. They are very careful that no accident shall happen. 
I asked one of my guides, whose muscles were like iron, how long 
he had been climbing the pyramids. Referring to a lad, perhaps 
ten years old, he said, "Since I was the size of that boy." 

The view from the top is superb; westward is the Libyan 
Desert, where sky and sand seem to meet; southward are the 
"Sphinx," "Tombs," "Temples," and the "Pyramids" of Sakara; 
eastward can be seen a carpet of green, with here and there a 
mud village, which looks like the print of a soiled foot on a rich 
carpet. The meandering Nile stretches on from south to north. 
In the far distance stands the Citadel, on a hill, and old Cairo at 
its base, and the long dike over which we had just driven, which 
looks like a white thread across a carpet of green. What a land- 
scape view! 

The Pyramid is entered from the east face, nearly a hundred 
feet from its base. We descend, going inward a hundred feet or 
more, at an angle of twenty-eight degrees; then climb over a 
large rock which lies across our path, and ascend 274 feet, at an 
angle of twenty-six degrees, to the "King's Chamber," which is 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



183 



thirty-four feet long, seventeen feet wide, and nineteen feet high. 
The passage-way was as slippery as glass, and for several feet 
very narrow along the top of the entrance to the Queen's Cham- 
ber. Here, for perhaps twenty or more feet, the guide threw 
his arm around my body, and carried me up and down the ascent, 
over that yawning abyss of darkness (for we could not see how 
deep the chasm was), as if I had been a child. The air within 
was stifling. 

During our ascent and descent, both without and within, 
the guides repeated over and over again the following: "You 
good man, good muscle; you Yankee; we deliver you safely. 
You satisfy us. Give us what you like. Some give us one pound, 
others a napoleon. No let sheik see. He take it from us. 
Yankees are always liberal!" etc. When we sat down to rest 
they began again. I gave them all the loose change I had with 
me, and wished for more. Mr. Cook, Sr., on whose tickets we 
were traveling, was our associate; had told us how they would do, 
and had advised us to leave much of our change behind us, or 
they would get most of it, if not all we had. The sheik was liber- 
ally paid for furnishing the guides. We next visited the Sphinx 
and some tombs. Before the former stood an Arab, who charged 
ten cents for the privilege of shaking hands with him, who said 
he was ninety-eight years old, and claimed to have seen the first 
Napoleon when he invaded Egypt. 

That day all enjoyed a first-class lunch, sent out from the city 
by Mr. Cook, in the sheik's quarters. 

Suez is ninety miles from Cairo in a direct line, and has a 
population of six thousand. My associate and I determined to 
visit Suez. Taking the train, we passed through the rich and 
fertile lands of Goshen to Ismailia, on the Suez Canal; thence to 
Suez on the shores of the Red Sea. Here, no doubt, is where 
the Israelites became "entangled" in the wilderness. They had 
passed the upper end of the sea, before which they could have 
crossed into Arabia on dry land. On their right rose the pre- 
cipitous mountain ridge of Jebel Atahah, eight miles long, pro- 
jecting to a sharp point out into the Red Sea. Retreat was cut 
off by the sea eastward, and westward by the impassable moun- 
tains, while the mouth of the vortex was closed in by the ad- 



184 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

vancing armies of Egypt. Thus surrounded, they were forced 
to trust God for deliverance, or be captured by their enemies. 
No wonder Pharaoh thought he had them secure! But God 
came to their rescue. From this point across the sea is from 
five to seven miles. These waters float the largest vessels. After 
a seven-o'clock dinner, four of us hired two stout boatmen for a 
moonlight ride to where, in all probability, the waters were 
separated, and where the Israelites crossed on dry ground, and 
where they were baptized without being immersed. From near 
that point of land our boatmen rowed us across close to the oppo- 
site shore, where Israel landed. The tall palms of "Ayun Musa" 
(or "The Wells of Moses"), were in sight. 

It was late in the night when we returned to our hotel. We 
slept a little, but were on the housetop by daybreak, taking in 
our surroundings, aided by a strong opera-glass. The ride of 
the evening before, and the associations of the place, were very 
enjoyable, and can never be forgotten. Thence we went by an 
early train to Ismailia, where we meet our traveling associates, 
and transfer to a small steamer for "Port Said." Thus we get a 
ride of fifty-six miles on the Suez Canal. Here we transfer to 
another steamer bound for Joppa in Palestine. The sea was 
rough. At early dawn I was on deck to get a view of the land 
of promise. Presently a dark cloud seemed to rise in the south- 
east. With my glass I saw that it was land, when I exclaimed, 
"There it is!" Joy filled all our hearts. Soon a city appeared to 
arise out of the water. It is Jaffa, or rather the ancient Joppa. 
Our anchor is dropped. The surf breaks on the rocks like white 
foam on the distant shore. Will it be possible to land? is the 
question that all are considering, when suddenly out darts a boat 
from behind the surf, then another and another, until the waters 
seemed covered with them. The boats soon surround our ship. 
The sea was so rough that it was with great difficulty that we 
were transferred to the boats. On nearing the shore we found 
that there was a break between an outer and inner tier of rocks, 
so that we passed between them with safety. Two strong Arabs 
reached down from the place of landing, took us by the hands, 
and lifted us on shore. Then, in single file, we walked through 
a filthy street, dodging mud-holes here and there, meeting pedes- 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



185 



trians on every side, on through a crowded gateway to our tents, 
pitched on a grassy plot outside of the city. Here we partook of 
a hearty breakfast. As our eyes turned eastward, we beheld the 
mountains of Israel, and our feet pressed for the first time the soil 
of the patriarchs, the prophets, and the Son of God. 

Rambles on Horseback through Palestine. — Before my 
visit to this land it seemed to exist largely in the fancy. What 
strikes the traveler with greatest force is, that it is so earthly 
and real. Yet this fact detracts not an iota from one's interest 
in the Bible narratives, but adds thereto. 

It was nine o'clock A. M. of March 9, 1873, when we landed. 
Our tents were of double canvas, circular, with an upright pole 
in the center, and capable of accommodating three persons. The 
bedsteads were single, and made of iron, with mattresses and 
clean bedding. The other furniture consisted of one stand, three 
wash-bowls and pitchers, and camp-stools. The tents were al- 
ways carpeted. Our food consisted of good bread, chickens, 
mutton, eggs, dates, figs, raisins, lemons, oranges, and jellies of 
various kinds; always cold chicken, an egg, an orange, and a 
hunk of bread for lunch at noon, which was eaten beside some 
spring or brook. Thus it was for nearly thirty days. Besides, 
at every breakfast we had chicken, and either boiled or fried 
eggs. There were a great variety of the former. Some were 
lean, others fat; some tough, others tender; some old, others 
young; some dark, and others yellow-legged. 

Several of the American gentlemen decided, long before 
reaching Beyrout, never to engage in the poultry business. The 
"Stars and Stripes" floated over one end of the dining-tent, and 
the "Union Jack" over the other, wherever we were camped. 
Our party consisted of thirty-five persons; seven clergymen, 
seven ladies, six Americans, and the rest were from England, 
Scotland, and Ireland. Some were botanists; others were geolo- 
gists, or specialists in science; some philosophers; a few were 
gentlemen and ladies of leisure, traveling for pleasure, or to kill 
time, or possibly to annoy others with their ceaseless fault-find- 
ings. 

Our steeds were sleek and fat, and always ready for a race. 



i86 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



It required one hundred and twenty animals to carry our tents, 
food, servants, and party, and we made quite an imposing ap- 
pearance when on the march. The people were often greatly ex- 
cited on seeing us pass, particularly at Nazareth, when the word 
was passed from mouth to mouth, "General Howard Cook has 
come!" 

At the outset the experienced riders were few. There were 
but two days out of twenty, when we were in the saddle, that 
some one or more was not unhorsed. Some had the faculty of 
tumbling off at every out-of-the-way place, and often in so ridicu- 
lous a manner that one had to laugh in spite of himself. Those 
who were not thrown were in the minority, and for once minor- 
ities were in the right! 

At that time there were no good wagon-roads in Palestine. 
One had been built from Jaffa to Jerusalem, which was scarcely 
passable for carriages. The other, from Jericho to Jerusalem, 
though excellent for horseback-riding, would admit of no other 
conveyance. Only persons in robust health and good riders 
should ever think of making the tour of Palestine. 

Recently a railroad has been constructed from Jaffa to Jeru- 
salem; but this is the easiest part of the whole journey. 

Jaffa is situated on an oval-shaped, rocky eminence overlook- 
ing the sea. From this place Jonah set sail on his perilous voy- 
age. Here Peter was stopping in the house of one Simon, a 
tanner, where, while on the housetop at prayer, he saw a vision 
of a sheet let down filled with all manner of four-footed beasts. 
This house was shown us, and we, too, stood upon its roof. In 
this place Peter raised Dorcas to life, and from here he set out 
upon his mission to the Gentiles. 

On Monday morning, March ioth, the time of starting had 
come; men and beasts are excited, all is bustle and confusion; 
several riders, if men and women never in the saddle before can 
be called such, are thrown. Off go the horses, exciting all the 
rest. Finally, all is righted. We move forward on the road to 
Jerusalem. Our route lies across the Plains of Sharon to the 
Valley of Aijalon. On either side as we pass out of the city are 
extensive groves of ripening oranges. During the most of 
the day we saw broad fields of waving wheat and barley. We 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



I8 7 



lunch at Ramleh, near an old tower, from which we get a fine 
view of the country. An olive-grove is at our feet, the moun- 
tains of Israel on the east, the Mediterranean on the west, and 
north and south the Plains of Sharon stretch away in the dis- 
tance, dotted with groves and cultivated fields. Three miles 
north and ten from Jaffa stands the little town of Lydia, where 
Peter was stopping when sent for from Joppa to restore Dorcas. 
We made our camp in the Valley of Aijalon a little before sun- 
set. My horse lost a shoe, and it was with difficulty that I got 
him to camp at all. It was over this valley that Joshua com- 
manded the sun to stand still. The sunset here was glorious. 
That night the moon shone brightly, but the frogs made lively 
music, to the great annoyance of some of the party. 

Near camp, two Arabs were plowing early in the morning, 
each with a "goad" in his hand. The plows were shaped like a 
letter Y, with the left arm extended for a tongue, the lower point 
in the ground, and the right arm for the handle. The oxen were 
about the size of an average yearling. I went out and offered 
my services. The Arab objected; I persisted, and he finally con- 
sented. I did so nicely the Arab was pleased, and said, "Tibe" 
(Good). I said "Tibe," and quit, for just then I noticed that my 
comrades were mounting their horses for the day's journey. 

The path from here led up a narrow valley, cultivated on 
either side, where it was possible, to the main road leading toward 
Jerusalem. From a high point we had a good view of the rolling 
Plain of Sharon, and of the Mediterranean Sea beyond. We soon 
reached the small village of Kirjath Jearim, where the ark rested 
in the house of Abinadab for twenty years, and from which it 
was conveyed to Jerusalem. We descended a long hill to the 
Valley of Elim, and lunched in an olive-grove, near a small 
brook, where David selected the five smooth stones, with one of 
which he slew the giant Goliath. 

Against the hillside near by is a small village, said to be the 
"Emmaus" of Scripture, where Christ made himself known to 
his traveling companions on the evening of his resurrection. 

In less than an hour after mounting, we reached an elevation 
overlooking a vast expanse of country. Before us can be seen 
the tops of buildings and massive walls. Not a word is spoken. 



188 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Mr. Howard, our dragoman, removed his hat, and so did we. 
Each was busy with his own thoughts. We are treading on holy 
ground. The eye rests upon an extended landscape often seen 
by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, David, Solomon, and the 
Son of God. The cities they built are gone; but the features of 
nature remain unchanged. The hills, valleys, fountains, rocks, 
and caves are there. This is what gives such an abiding interest 
to Palestine. The earthly Jerusalem is before us. 

That was a moment never to be forgotten. We are approach- 
ing the Christian's "Mecca." As we proceed, our guide turned 
to the right before entering the Jaffa gate, crossed the Valley 
of Hinnom and an elevated ridge, where, seated on a stone, we 
saw a shepherd playing on his harp, while caring for his sheep, 
as David did, when tending his father's flocks near this place. 
Deep emotions stir our hearts as we read the Scripture narra- 
tive when we halted at the tomb of Rachel. A stone structure 
has been erected over the tomb by the Moslems. Leaving Beth- 
lehem on our left, we followed a rocky trail to our tents pitched 
at Solomon's Pools. There are here three great tanks called 
the "Pools of Solomon." The lower one is six hundred feet long, 
two hundred feet broad, and fifty feet deep. The others are 
smaller, one rising above the other on the side of a gentle slope. 
These were partly excavated out of the solid rock, and partly 
built of masonry. Much of the masonry stands now as it stood 
two thousand years ago. The cemented covering of the inside 
remains almost unbroken. A common reservoir was supplied 
with water from springs found deep in the hillsides, and thence 
by aqueduct was conveyed to and under the temple at Jerusalem. 
If the supply was greater than the eight-inch pipes could carry, 
the surplus was conveyed to these reservoirs, or pools. 

From these an aqueduct joined the other farther on, so that 
the city could have an unfailing supply. The most of our party 
rested here one day; but a few of us rode down to Hebron and 
back again. The road, if such it could be called, led over rocky 
ridges and across several small valleys, until we reached the Vale 
of Eshcol, where the spies procured the sample grapes. The val- 
ley is still noted for the rich quality of its grapes. Down at the 
extremity of this valley we found Hebron, celebrated in patriarchal 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



history. Here is the cave where Abraham buried Sarah, and 
where he rests himself, with Isaac and Jacob, Rebecca and Leah. 
Over this cave the Mohammedans have erected a mosque, and 
no Frank is allowed to enter on pain of death. We had to be 
content with a survey of the surroundings. 

Our return was by an old oak, near which Abraham's tent 
is said to have been pitched when the angel informed him of 
the destruction of the cities of the plain. It is, without doubt, 
of great age. It is now surrounded by a wall, filled in with dirt 
to support and preserve it, and is jealously guarded by Arabs 
to prevent the numerous pilgrims from carrying it off by pieces. 

Qn our return, as we were encompassing a rocky point, when 
there were but three of us together, there came bounding down 
over the rocks toward us a dozen half-clad Arabs, gesticulating 
and hallooing like fiends. What did this mean? All stood ap- 
palled. A bold front and firm look into the eye of the leader, 
caused him to quail, when he passed by, followed by his crowd. 
Perhaps they only meant to scare us. 

At seven next morning we were in the saddle, following the 
line of the aqueduct of Solomon. In an hour we came to Bethle- 
hem, situated on the summit and slope of an oval-shaped hill. 
A large church has been built over the grotto where Christ is 
said to have been born. Greek, Roman, and Armenian, each 
has a chapel, and each claims the sole right of the grotto under- 
neath, and as this contains a large number of gold and silver 
lamps, the gifts of nations, a guard is necessary to preserve peace 
and prevent theft. 

The reputed place of the Savior's birth is marked with a silver 
star, on which is inscribed in Latin, "Here Christ was born of 
the Virgin Mary." I would not be incredulous, and so said he 
was born in Bethlehem; why not here? But it was in an "inn." 
True, but grottoes were used then, as now, for that purpose. 
People, to this day, live in grottoes or caves. Palestine might 
be called the land of caves, so very numerous are they. 

Before reaching Bethlehem we passed the mouth of the cave 
where Sampson hid himself after the slaughter of the Philistines. 
Adjoining the place where Jesus was born, is the cave where St. 
Jerome spent most of his life. 



190 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

From here we descended a long, narrow, crooked, and, in 
some places, steep lane, to the Shepherd's Plain, where, tradition 
informs us, the shepherds were watching their flocks when the 
angels announced the birth of the Messiah. Here, perhaps, 
David was keeping his father's flocks when called and anointed 
by Samuel, king of Israel. Almost in sight yonder is the Cave 
of Adullam, where David hid from the wrath of Saul. 

This plain is not large; perhaps about one hundred acres of 
ground, surrounded by hills. Sitting on a tumbled-down wall, 
we lunch, and then read with renewed interest the story of the 
angelic choir. 

From here we crossed rocky ridges and barren wastes, 
through the wilderness of Judea, to our tents pitched in the deep, 
narrow valley of the Kidron, just above the convent of Mar- 
Saba. 

This convent, built in the side of a precipice, looks like a 
prison inclosed by a high wall on the upper side, which has but 
one place of entrance, and that is by a low doorway, so that one 
has to crouch to get through. Our ladies were not permitted to 
enter. As our guide had previously procured an order from the 
Greek Patriarch at Jerusalem, we were shown through the estab- 
lishment, which has been standing ior over twelve hundred years. 
The monks were quite extensively patronized by purchases from 
our party of various curiosities. The only green things to be 
seen here were a small garden and a palm-tree. 

Led by a guard of seven Arabs, armed with old flint-lock 
guns, we commenced the next day's march. Our trail led along 
narrow ravines, and up and down rocky mountain paths. In one 
half hour we secured our first sight of the Dead Sea, below us, 
and apparently, as one said, "only a little way off." 

In a neat, little, saucer-like valley, our dragoman and the 
sheik gave us an exhibition of their horsemanship, which nearly 
cost the life of the latter. Up and down they dashed at each 
other, round and round they went at full speed, when, as they 
approached within a few inches of each other, intending to pass, 
the sheik fell from his horse unconscious. All were alarmed, 
as none were armed, and were at the mercy of the armed Arabs, 
who could easily have killed us, and fled to the hills. Fortu- 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



191 



nately a physician with us had some restoratives with him, and, 
applying them, soon brought him back to consciousness. He 
was unable to proceed with us farther. One of his men took 
charge of him, and the rest went on with us. 

On and on we rode, down this hill and up that, round this 
curve and that, through ravine after ravine, until all of a sudden 
we beheld before us the broad plain of the Jordan. Here we met 
a shepherd driving his flock, and, sure enough, he carried a lamb 
in his bosom. 

After five hours of hard riding, we dismounted on the banks 
of the Dead Sea, where the waters were rolling on the beach like 
waves of oil. To the taste the water is like aloes, with a slight 
mixture of salt. When in the eyes, the sensation produced is 
similar to that caused by cayenne pepper. Do our very best 
when in bathing, we could not sink, but bobbed about in the 
water like corks. 

This body of water is about four thousand feet lower than 
Jerusalem, and thirteen hundred feet lower than the Mediter- 
ranean Sea. It is forty-six miles long and eleven wide in its 
widest place. Its medium depth is one thousand feet, its greatest 
thirteen hundred. On either side precipitous mountains, or 
bluffs, rise two thousand feet above the water. 

From here, an hour and a half's ride brought us to the ford of 
the Jordan, endeavoring to find a dry spot on which to eat our 
lunch. With us it was literally true: 

" On Jordan's stormy banks I stand." 

A heavy shower of rain poured down upon us as we left the 
Dead Sea, and another as we were leaving the Jordan. It 
sprinkled most of the time while we were there. 

At this ford, or near it, is where the Israelites crossed, under 
the leadership of Joshua, after their forty years of wandering in 
the wilderness. Here Elijah crossed with Elisha just before his 
ascension, and on his return divided the waters with his mantle. 
Here John the Baptist was baptizing the people when Jesus came 
to be set apart for his priestly mission. 

The accompanying cut gives a good view of the Jordan, and 
shows the place where several of our party enjoyed a much- 
13 




192 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



193 



needed bath, that they might get rid of the saline incrustations 
covering their bodies, after their plunge in the Dead Sea. The 
limbs of the dead tree, shown in the background, served as a 
rack to hang clothing upon. 

The water below the ford, where natives are crossing, was not 
less than six feet deep, and flows to the left with a strong current. 

Two hours farther ride brought us to the site of ancient Jeri- 
cho, where we found our tents pitched near the Fountain of 
Elisha, whose waters were healed by the prophet, and which 
remain good and sweet to this day. These waters are used not 
only for drinking, but also for irrigation. The Valley of Jordan 
here is a broad and mostly uncultivated plain. The soil is a 
rich loam, and all it needs is to have the waters of the Jordan 
spread over it to make it very productive. All is barren now, 
save a few fields adjoining the fountain, where excellent crops 
of wheat and barley were ripening. Fig-trees were in leaf, and 
young figs were forming. A bushy thorn-tree, called by the 
Arabs nubk, grows quite large here. These are used for fencing 
around the dilapidated old town. On the hills about Jerusalem 
it grows no larger than a currant-bush. It is believed that the 
crown of thorns, which adorned the Savior's brow, was made of 
this ugly thorn-bush. The thorns thereon are similar in shape 
to a fish-hook. 

The inhabitants of the place turned out, came to our camp, 
and gave us a wild barbarian entertainment, consisting of swing- 
ing to and fro of the body, clapping of hands, and singing. We 
were obliged to backsheesh them liberally to get rid of them. 

Jericho has a most remarkable history. It was the first city 
captured by Joshua under the Lord's direction. At one time 
here was the school of the prophets. By their request, Elijah, 
on his last visit to them, healed the waters which flowed from 
their only spring. 

Christ brought salvation to the home of Zaccheus, where he 
was being entertained. Here, on another occasion, he healed two 
or three blind men. 

Remnants of arches, which were viaducts for conveying water, 
and old ruins, indicate the site of this ancient city. A filthy vil- 
lage, a mile or two away, of about forty squalid huts, with per- 



194 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



haps two hundred inhabitants, is all there is there now. Ancient 
Jericho stood about twenty miles northeast of Jerusalem, and 
nearly four thousand feet lower. 

The morning of March 15, 1873, dawned upon us bright and 
clear. The clouds were gone. All was excitement in our camp. 
We are "going up to Jerusalem." We ride between piles of 
debris and under old archways, crossing the site of the destroyed 
city, and enter the steep, narrow, rugged, rocky defile which leads 
upward toward our destination. 

The road starts up on the left side of the canon, and is good 
for horseback riding. A Russian lady, some two years before, 
met with an accident on the old trail. She resolved that if she 
recovered, a good road should be built at her expense; and it was. 
This is the queerest roadway known to the writer. It is paved 
with stones, flat and cobble, and so laid as to form a stairlike 
ascent. The steps are on a slight incline, about five feet wide 
and six to eight inches high. Three horsemen can ride abreast 
easily. As we slowly ascended this steep but well-built roadway, 
and compared it with the old, dilapidated trail on the opposite 
side of the gorge, ofttimes the prayer was heard, "May the Lord 
take a liking to her, and reward her a thousand-fold!" It was in 
this very canon where the man, described by the Master, "fell 
among thieves." One could "pass by on the other side," and 
not be fifty feet away from the unfortunate one. Probably there 
were trails on either side of the little stream, the waters of which 
leap "topsy-turvy" down its uneven bed. 

At Bethany we looked into the so-called tomb of Lazarus, 
and then ascended a narrow but much worn path, to the 
summit of Olivet. From this elevation we got our first 
view of Jerusalem, and what a view that was! "We were 
quite unprepared for this. Seen under any circumstances, it is 
one long to be remembered. The deep ravine of the Kidron 
below us, the city across on the opposite hill, with its gray walls, 
its broad-paved platform, on the center of which stands the ex- 
quisite dome of the Mosque of Omar, with the picturesque mass 
of cupolas and minarets just beyond, and the hills and valleys in 
the distance, formed a landscape picture that needed no aid from 
the associations of the spot to make it strikingly attractive. But 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD, 



195 



when we add to these the associations of the past, — so sacred, 
so tender, so sublime, — it is not to be wondered that every visitor 
feels himself drawn to it, and once there, is at a loss to express 
the emotions which it awakens. Nothing, however, which had 
been told me, or which I had read, had prepared me for the view 
which then broke upon us from the summit of Olivet. The vast 
platform of the temple, the dome of the mosque, the roofs of 
4 E1-Aksa,' the .innumerable cupolas and fiat roofs of the city, 
were all running with water from the heavy shower. Through 
the rifts in the clouds long slanting beams of sunlight fell upon 
them with dazzling splendor. The city flashed and shone like 
molten silver." (Condensed from Rev. Samuel Manning's de- 
scription in "Those Holy Fields." He was one of our party.) 

The scattering raindrops were crystallized into seeming dia- 
monds, and through these we could see the outlines of the city. 
So, thought I, through our tears, by faith we see the "Jerusalem 
which is above." 

What must have been this view in Solomon's day! The Tem- 
ple itself was a marvel of splendor and beauty. Built of costly 
marbles, overlaid with gold, it shone resplendently when the light 
of the rising or setting sun fell upon it. Of all this magnificence, 
nothing remains save the vast platform upon which it stood. 
Well might the disciples listen with incredulity as our Lord 
foretold the impending destruction of a city "beautiful for situ- 
ation, the joy of the whole earth." 

The path, in the accompanying cut, where the men and horse 
are standing, leading off to the right, is the one over which we 
rode. Passing the Garden of Gethsemane, and crossing the Kid- 
ron, we skirted the city wall to the right, and found our camp 
pitched on the edge of the Valley of Hinnom, just outside of the 
Jaffa Gate. 

Rome gave the world law; Greece, art; Jerusalem, religion. 
The student of law examines carefully the Roman code; the artist, 
the models of Greece; the theologian, the higher law and higher 
art as revealed to the inhabitants in and about Jerusalem. 

The traveler finds great pleasure in visiting the decayed monu- 
ments of ancient Rome, but greater pleasure in visiting Greece. 
Her marble temples and broken statuary command his admira- 




: 9 6 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



197 



tion, wonder, and pity,— -"wonder," that such a nation ever ex- 
isted; "pity," that their works of art could not have come down 
to the present unmutilated ; "admiration," at what is left of her 
renowned temples, grand columns, unsurpassed statuary, of the 
purest marble and most exquisite workmanship, — often with only 
a hand, an arm, a head, a trunk, a foot or leg, and yet with out- 
lines and drapery perfect. What must they have been in the 
days of Grecian fame and glory! 

But the devout Christian traveler finds the greatest pleasure 
and satisfaction in visiting the scenes of his Lord's earthly pil- 
grimage, and in looking upon the hills, dales, streams, fountains, 
lakes, plains, ruins, and cities of the Holy Land. Among the 
cities, Jerusalem stands prominent. There are associations con- 
nected with this city that are connected with no other. 

On the afternoon of March 15, 1873, this unspeakable privi- 
lege was enjoyed by the writer, and the cherished hope of years 
7/as realized, for with the psalmist I had said, "Our feet shall 
stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem!" Drawn by irresistible 
attraction, pilgrims flock thither from the very ends of the earth. 
The crumbling walls, the squalid streets, the moldering ruins, 
are regarded with a profound and reverential interest by the mill- 
ions of mankind, as of no other spot on earth. 

On a broad ridge, between the Valley of Hinnom and Jehosha- 
phat, stands Jerusalem. A much smaller valley, called the "Ty- 
ropeon," divides the city from north to south, thus separating 
between the "Mt. Zion" of Scripture and "Mt. Moriah" on which 
King Solomon's Temple stood. 

The best and perhaps the only satisfactory view of the city 
may be had from the triple-topped summit of Olivet, which is 
one-half of a mile eastward. 

This view is seen from the east wall of Jerusalem, and shows 
the central and highest point of Olivet. The road to the left is 
the one down which we rode, and is very steep. The one in 
front is the one up which we walked, a few days later. There is 
another to the right coming in at the inclosure, which is "the 
Garden of Gethsemane." This last is the one over which Christ 
rode in his triumphant march to the city; but is not shown in 



198 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



this picture, except where a broad white space appears, near the 
trees in the front, where it crosses the Kidron. 

From the narrow balcony of yonder minaret on Olivet let us 
glance at the surroundings. Eastward, on much lower ground, 
is "Bethany," where can be seen a number of fig-trees. Between 
that and the Jordan Valley is the "Wilderness of Judea," and a 
barren, rugged, rocky piece of country it is. Beyond the valley 
rises the mountain wall of Moab, the highest peak of which is 



1 mm. ^_ 

. ..... , .. 




OLIVET FROM JERUSALEM. 



believed to be the "Pisgah" from which Moses viewed the Prom- 
ised Land, and where he was buried, probably by a landslide. 

Northward can be seen the hill "Scopus," a northwestward 
projection of Olivet. The top of this hill was leveled off for a 
camp by Titus, the Roman general, when he besieged the city. 
Farther on rise higher hills. 

Southward is the Valley of the Kidron, leading off toward 
the Dead Sea; "the hill of evil council," on which Pompey en- 
camped when he besieged the city. Below is the "King's gar- 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



199 



den," "Joab's well," and "the field of blood." Farther on are 
the hills and vales which surround Bethlehem. 

Westward we look down the steep, shelving, terraced sides of 
Olivet into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and the little "Brook Kid- 
ron," over which is an arched stone bridge. To the left is "the 
Garden of Gethsemane," surrounded by a high stone wall, inclos- 
ing eight old olive-trees, supported by loose stones, and several 
cypress-trees. Beyond, to the left, is the Tomb of Absalom, and 
of St. James, Zechariah, and thousands of others. 

Beyond the ravine, directly in front, is the beautiful inclosure 
of the so-called "Haram," which is about 1,000 by 1,600 feet, 
being nearly one-fourth of the entire city. This area is sur- 
rounded by high and massive walls. In the center stands the 
mosque of Omar, with its noble dome, sixty-six feet in diameter, 
surmounted by a gilded crescent. The mosque is surrounded 
by a flagged platform; then a grassy area, with olive and cypress 
trees encircling the whole. In the southern wall stands the 
mosque of El-Aksa, once a Christian church, in which stand 
two columns, only a few inches apart; of which it is said, that if 
you can pass between them, you are sure of heaven. I did it; 
but it was a very tight squeeze. 

At the right of the northwest corner of the "Haram" stands 
the Tower of Antonio, where Pilate's house once stood; north 
is "St. Stephen's" gate; farther on is a broad, irregular ridge, 
thinly inhabited, interspersed with gardens, and crowned with a 
mosque and minaret. This is the "Bezetha" of Josephus. The 
low ridge of "Ophel" is on the opposite side of the "Haram," 
sinking down rapidly into the Kidron, thickly studded with young- 
olives. Hid by "Bezetha" is the "Damascus gate." In the 
northwestern portion is the hill of "Akra," rising to an angle, 
which is the highest point of the modern city. At the southwest 
corner is "Mt. Zion," on which stands, within the walls, an Epis- 
copal church, a Gothic structure, the Armenian convent, and 
the Tower of David, which is close to the Jaffa gate. Beyond the 
walls, on "Zion," stands the mosque of David. This is said to 
occupy the site of the tomb of David and other kings. In this 
mosque is the "large upper room," "a vaulted Gothic chamber," 
fifty feet long by thirty wide, with grated windows. Here, tra- 



200 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



dition says, the Last Supper was instituted, where the disciples 
met after the resurrection, and where they were assembled when 
the Holy Spirit was poured upon them. 

Near these buildings we saw grain growing, according to 
the prophecy of Micah, "Zion shall be plowed like a field." 
(Jeremiah xxvi, 18.) 

Beyond the city westward the ground slopes gradually up- 
ward for two miles. The words of the psalmist are literally true, 
"The mountains are round about Jerusalem," and from that he 
drew the comforting thought, "So the Lord is round about his 
people from henceforth, even for ever." (Psalm cxxv, 2.) 

The city is, in a direct line, thirty-three miles east of the Medi- 
terranean Sea, and at an average of a little over 2,500 feet higher. 
It is fifteen miles west of the "Dead Sea," and 3,870 feet higher. 
"Zion" is 115 feet higher than the "Temple area," which is 230 
feet higher than the bed of the Kidron, below it. Olivet is 208 
feet higher than Mt. Moriah, on which the Temple stood. 

Jerusalem is surrounded by walls, high and imposing, two 
and one-half miles in length, with watch-towers distributed along 
the top. This wall is pierced by five open and two closed gates. 
These gates are arched passage-ways through the walls, built 
in the form of a tri-square. You enter at the long end, turn 
to the right or left, and pass on into the city. Between the hours 
of twelve and one, that being the hour of prayer, the gates are 
closed; also at sundown. A liberal "backsheesh" will open the 
"Jaffa", gate after that hour. The city is divided into four quar- 
ters, — the Mohammedan, the Armenian, the Jewish, and Chris- 
tian. It has a population of over twenty thousand souls. The 
condition of the majority of the inhabitants is wretched beyond 
description. One is oft reminded of the prophetic words of the 
Master, as he was led forth to be crucified: "Daughters of Jeru- 
salem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your 
children." (Luke xxiii, 28.) 

We visited the Temple area, and the arches underneath sup- 
porting the Temple platform. These are built of hewn stone, 
about five feet on each side, and placed singly one over the other. 
The spaces between the rows are irregular, varying from ten to 
twenty-three feet, and there are fifteen rows of these square 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



20I 



pillars, so far as has been discovered. These were set so that each 
four formed an arch, with a keystone in the center. Some of the 
pillars are sixty feet high, others only a few feet, according to 
the slope of the hill. The roots of the trees are often seen ex- 
tending through the crevices. How these "vaulted substructions" 
take one back into the misty past! 

The highest point of "Mt. Moriah" is crowned with a large 
limestone flat rock, sixty feet across and five feet thick, encircled 
by a high iron railing, over which stands the Mosque of Omer. 

It is believed that this rock was "the threshing-floor of Oman 
the Jebusite," over which the destroying angel was suspended. 
Here David "offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings," and 
called upon God, who "answered him by fire." When the Temple 
was built, this rock, in all probability, was the site of "the great 
altar" of burnt-offerings. The cave and well underneath are 
believed to have been the cesspool into which the blood of the 
victims escaped. 

The "quarries" underneath the city were discovered by Dr. 
Barclay. These are five hundred feet long and three hundred feet 
broad. Abutments have been left standing to support the roof. 
The workmen left stone, partially cut, hanging in the wall; some 
blocks were nearly finished, others were only just begun. The 
descent leading to the quarries is one hundred and thirteen feet 
long. Stone clippings, which w T ere made nearly three thousand 
years ago, cover the bottom. 

Under the old olive-trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, at 
the hour of sunset, we read with increased interest the narrative 
of the betrayal of Christ, and in our silent meditations could al- 
most hear the touching prayer, "If it be possible, let this cup pass 
from me; yet not my will, but thine be done." 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is claimed to stand over 
the place of the crucifixion and interment of our Lord; but our 
faith in the claim is so weak that we take little interest in it. 

A stroll from the "upper Pool of Gihon" down the Valley of 
Hinnom, and up that of Jehoshaphat, or Kidron, to the Damascus 
gate, revealed to us many places of interest. Among these, only 
one can be noticed. Pausing to dip our hands in "cool Siloam's 
shady rill," we were reminded of the command given by our 



202 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Lord to the blind man, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." He 
went, "and came seeing." Thus, if we accept him as our Savior 
and believe his promise, we, too, shall be able to see; shall be 
saved. 

From Jerusalem to Bethel is a bleak, wind-swept series of 
rounded hills, where gray limestone comes to, or covers the sur- 
face, with only little patches of a meager vegetation on the shallow 
soil to make up the uninviting scene. At Bethel, now called 
"Beitin," Jacob had his mysterious vision as he slept. Here, 
beside a spring of excellent water, we ate our noon lunch. That 
afternoon, on our journey northward, we were detained nearly 
three hours, in a narrow passage-way between high walls, by 
Armenian pilgrims, who were going up to Jerusalem to celebrate 
Easter. They were a motley set. Some were on foot; others 
were mounted on donkeys, mules, or horses, carrying with them 
all the equipments of camp-life. A few r of the men carried an- 
tique guns. The women rode astride on the luggage, wearing 
pantaloons and boots, with iron plates on the heels, like the men. 
The children were carried in boxes tied to each side of an animal, 
which was led by some member of the party. Some of the little 
ones were asleep, others were crying, and others were gazing in- 
differently about, as the animals slowly jogged along. Persons 
of all ages were there, from the gray-haired sire to the infant at 
the breast. On and on they came, single file, up through that 
narrow, crooked passage-way, hour after hour, while we were 
compelled to sit on our horses and wait, in the hot Syrian sun, 
without umbrella or shade of any kind. This was one of the 
pleasant (?) experiences of traveling in the far East. Because 
of this hindrance, we were forced to camp that night in "Robbers' 
Glen," near "Robbers' Fountain." 

This vale, not over a hundred yards wide, with not an over- 
assuring name, was shut in by high hills on either side, which 
had been terraced to the top, and set out with olive-trees. No 
human habitation could be seen. Not a footfall broke the still- 
ness during the whole night. 

A detour to the right the next forenoon took us to Shiloh, 
where the Tabernacle stood so long, and where Eli ministered 
therein. Only an old ruin now remains. From there to Jacob's 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



203 



well our route was mostly over a hilly, rocky road. Beside this 
historic spot we partook of our noon lunch, drawing water from 
the well, which, according to our measurement, was seventy-eight 
feet deep. Near by is Joseph's tomb. We recalled the conver- 
sation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, as we sat there 
by the well, and his assurance, that "whosoever drinketh of the 
water that I shall give, shall never thirst." How Jacob ever dug 
so deeply in the solid rock, was a question that interested us; but 
remained unsolved. 

Individuals have often wondered how it was that the law 
could have been read so as to be heard between the two moun- 
tains of Ebal and Gerizim. Infidels have scoffed at the idea. A 
few hundred feet up on the sides of the mountains are depressions, 
which indent the sides of the opposing mountains. Here two 
level plateaus confront each other on a cliff of rocks. This spot 
seems to have been created for this purpose. The reading of the 
law unquestionably took place here, the priests standing on the 
cliff on either side, with the people below, hearing distinctly every 
word read. 

We tried the experiment under the most unfavorable circum- 
stances. A very high wind was blowing down the valley, carrying 
the sounds away from us. Neither of the readers had strong 
voices; yet not only could we who remained in the valley hear 
them, but they heard each other with sufficient distinctness to 
read alternate verses, each beginning where the other left off. 
This, doubtless, is due to the conformation of the hillsides, form- 
ing, as it were, a double amphitheater. Our observation demon- 
strated the truthfulness of the historical data. 

We next visited Nablus, and then ascended to the summit 
of Gerizim, and "viewed the landscape o'er." Our party were 
shown the "Samaritan Manuscript," usually exhibited to trav- 
elers ; but we demanded to see the original, and for a consideration 
were gratified. 

The next day we visited Samaria, the ancient capital of the 
Ten Tribes. The prophecy of Micah has literally become true: 
"I will make Samaria as an heap in the field, and as the planting 
of a vineyard; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the 
valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof" (i, 6). 



204 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Sever a pear lengthwise, turn the flat side down, and you have 
the exact shape of the hill on which Samaria stood, which was 
about three hundred feet above the valley on either side. A few 
standing and broken columns, several piles of stone, once used 
in buildings, and the walls of an old church, are all that is left 
of this once magnificent city. On the north side many of the 
hewn stone have been rolled down into the valley. The whole hill 
is now cultivated. In one part we saw a man plowing, and in 
another grain was growing. 

That afternoon our guide halted us on the summit of a rocky 
ridge, and pointing northward to a white-capped mountain, said, 
"That is Mt. Hermon." After we had had time to take in that 
grand view, he pointed to a lovely, saucer-like valley, off to our 
left, covered with an emerald of green, and said, "That is Dothan." 
Once more we were enamored with the scene. How the history 
of Joseph rose before us! And when we saw the hills on every 
side of this beautiful spot, we remembered the hosts which sur- 
rounded Elijah, and how astonished his servant was when he 
beheld the same. That night, after being eight hours in the 
saddle, we found our tents pitched at Jenin, on the south border 
of the Plain of Esdraelon. 

The next morning, from a hill adjacent to our camp, we se- 
cured a good view of the plain, eighteen miles long by fifteen 
wide, which lay at our feet like a variegated colored map. To 
our right, northeastward, were the mountains of Gilboa; to our 
left, northwestward, were the mountains of Carmel, where Elijah 
prayed for the rain, and where he had his contest with the priests 
of Baal. In front of us, to the north, rise the mountains of Gali- 
lee, and nestling against the hillside over there was Nazareth, 
where we were to spend the next day, the Sabbath. 

We crossed the plain to Jezreel; then visited the fountain of 
"Ein-Jalude," which flows from an alcove in a cliff of rocks 
under the north point of Gilboa. This is supposed to be the place 
where Gideon's band lapped the water before the battle of the 
Midianites, when their cry was, "The sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon." This large fountain, at its mouth, is perhaps twenty 
feet across, and three feet deep. A number of young turtles were 
sporting about in the water close up to the rocks. Two of us 



ECHOES FROM ABROOD. 



205 



in the advance had ridden up to near the source, when our Eng- 
lish friend, not noticing the depth of the water, leaped from his 
horse to catch one of the turtles. He was a six-footer; yet the 
water took him well above the knees. He got "nary" turtle. 
The others, riding up at that moment, had a hearty laugh at his 
expense. His "Wellingtons" (high-topped boots) were full of 
water. For the rest of the day he had the pleasure of riding with 
wet feet. 

The Valley of "Jezreel" * s broad and beautiful, like an Eng- 
lish pasture-field. Up this valley from the spring we rode to its 
head, where we lunched at Shunem, in a lemon-grove, near the 
base of Little Hermon. Here was the home of the family in 
which the prophet Elijah was entertained. 

As we passed over a spur of Little Hermon, we saw to our 
right, on the north slope of this cone-shaped hill, in the distance, 
the site of the city of Nam, where our Lord restored the widow's 
son, as the body was being borne to burial. Thence onward 
our course led us up the steep hills of Galilee to Nazareth, where 
Christ grew to man's estate. 

A wedding procession, attended with a fine tournament dis- 
play, greeted our approach to the city. Here we remained over 
the Sabbath, and attended a Church of England service, con- 
ducted by Dr. Manning, of the London Tract Society, who gave 
a most interesting discourse. Our camp was but a short distance 
from the only spring of water in Nazareth. From this fountain, 
unquestionably, our Savior often drank. 

Monday morning we proceeded on our journey. On our 
left was Cana of Galilee, and a little beyond the "Horns of Hat- 
tin," where the Crusaders were defeated by the Turks, in 1187 
A. D., while below us, nestled in the hills like a mirror, lay the 
beautiful Sea of Galilee. This is fourteen miles long and seven 
wide, and six hundred and twenty feet lower than the ocean. 
The descent was so steep that I dismounted and led my horse. 
Tiberias is now a dilapidated town, having about three thousand 
inhabitants. Here we had our noonday lunch, and enjoyed a 
sea bath. 

The path, over which we rode in single file, leads northward 
close to the shore, with hills rising abruptly nearly two thousand 



2o6 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



feet on the left. An hour's ride brought us to Magdala, the home 
of Mary, out of whom Jesus cast seven devils. 

There opens out, from this point northwestward, a plain, ex- 
tending three miles along the shore and one mile back. We 
rode across this now-neglected spot, once an agricultural para- 
dise, and found our pathway girded with the thorny "nubk," 
oleanders, and a great variety of beautiful flowers, with an occa- 
sional stunted palm. At one point, beside that path, there gurgled 
forth a spring of pure, cold water, at which nearly all slaked their 
thirst. 

In one hour's ride from Magdala we reached "Khan Minyeh," 
the site of ancient Capernium, where we found our tents pitched 
near "Ain et Tim," the Fountain of the Fig. 

Here we rested for a day. The heat was intense, the ther- 
mometer standing at 84 degrees F. at ten o'clock P. M. That 
night, March 24th, the wind came driving down from the lofty 
heights above us in fearful gusts, upsetting some of our tents, 
scattering the loose camp articles, and lashing the lake into a 
rolling, seething, furious torrent, reminding us of that other night 
when our Lord said to the troubled waters, "Peace, be still." 
Here, in this place, was the adopted home of our Savior, where 
much of his teaching was given and many of his miracles per- 
formed. 

Palestine, at this season of the year, is a land of lovely, bloom- 
ing flowers. The traveler, starting in at Joppa the second week 
in March, enjoys them all the way through that historic land. 

While camped here, several of our party were taken very sick. 
They laid it to the water, of which they had drunk very little. 
Their drink at dinners had been largely wine, ale, beer, brandy, 
or whisky, and their time during the meal was mostly spent in 
discussing the quality of each. Several of the party carried flasks 
to refresh themselves along the way. If, for any cause, they took 
water, "somethin' " was added to "prevent sickness." Yet these 
were always the ailing ones. Some of them became so bad that 
for several days they had to be carried in a kind of hammock 
swung between two poles, the ends of which were fastened to the 
sides of a mule in front, and to another in the rear. The head 
mule was led by an Arab, walking. Of our party of thirty-five 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 207 

through Palestine, all except three drank intoxicants of some 
kind, at their meals mostly. The exceptions were the Rev. Mr. 
Loomis, a London gentleman, and the writer. Each of us took 
water "straight" wherever found, and plenty of it, and never 
enjoyed better health. 

Moral. — When traveling in the Holy Land, or elsewhere, leave 
intoxicants behind. You will be better off at all times without 
these so-called stimulants. 

Our course the next day was northward, over a very stony, 
rough trail to our evening camp at "Ain Belat," where flows a 
fountain of clear, cool water. Lake Hulah, or the waters of 
Merom, which is four and one-half miles long and three and one- 
half wide, is on a level with the ocean. We lunched that day at 
"Nahr Handij," near a spring, after two hours' ride in rain and 
mud. 

Thursday, the 27th, we skirted the Plain of Hulah, passing 
a camp of Bedouins, whose black tents numbered one hundred 
and twenty. Numerous herds of cattle belonging to the band 
were grazing on the hillsides. Here we saw two women churning 
cream in a swinging churn made of an uncut goatskin, which 
was hung in a kind of derrick, made with three poles tied to- 
gether at the top and spread out at the base. The churning was 
done by swinging this leather churn back and forth between them. 

That day we ate our lunch at "Tell-el-Kady," the Dan of 
Scripture. This was on a knoll, which is eighty feet above the 
plain, and one-half of a mile in diameter. Here is the main foun- 
tain or source of the Jordan, which bursts out with great force, 
sending forth a stream of pure, cool water. That night we 
camped at "Banias," or Cesarea Philippi, which stands at the 
southern base of Mt. Hermon, whose snow-capped summit 
pierces the very clouds. From one of its shoulders, in all prob- 
ability, the transfiguration of Christ occurred. Here we spent a 
part of one day and a night. Quite a stream flowed out from the 
mouth of a cave in the side of this mountain. 

On March 28th we started at an early hour for Damascus. 
For three hours we climbed the ridge extending south of Her- 
mon. Just before noon we crossed lava-fields at an altitude of 
six thousand feet, and ate our lunch near "Beit Jann" — the house 
14 



20S 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of "Paradise." The inhabitants would hardly pass for celestials! 
We spent the night, which proved to be very windy, at "Kefr 
Hawar." Several tents were blown down, leaving their occu- 
pants in a sad predicament. 

From a ridge, the next forenoon, we had our first view of 
Damascus, the oldest city in the world, — over four thousand 
years old, — which was founded by Uz, the grandson of Noah. 
Where we stood when eating our noon lunch, tradition fixes as 
the spot of Saul's conversion. That afternoon we camped near 
the entrance of the city. 

Over the south door of a mosque, the greatest in the city, 
we read the following inscription in Greek: "Thy kingdom, O 
Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth 
throughout all generations." This building was once a Chris- 
tian church, hence the above. This famous mosque was de- 
stroyed by fire in 1894. The street called "Strait" is still there. 
The place where Paul was let down in a basket is shown. On 
Tuesday morning, April 1, 1873, we leaped into our saddles with 
glad hearts, for every step forward now is one toward home. 

From the ridge Salihneh, north of the city, we had an inde- 
scribable view of Damascus and the irrigated plains around it, 
covered, as they were, with cultivated fields and groves of apri- 
cots, almonds, pomegranates, figs, olive, peach, apple, quince, 
mulberry, walnut, poplar, willow, hawthorn, and trees of many 
other varieties intermingled. The city, with its great mosque, 
in the center, surrounded by these groves. Is it any won- 
der that Mohammed refused to enter this earthly paradise, since 
he claimed that his was "above." We had our lunch at the 
fountain of "Fijeh," the chief source of the "Abana" of Scripture. 
This fountain flows, four feet deep and eighteen feet wide, from 
underneath an overhanging cliff. At night we found our camp 
at "Suk Wady Barada," the ancient Abila, "a day's march nearer 
home." 

The next day we lunched at a spring, half an hour's ride be- 
yond "Zabdany." That afternoon we crossed the second and 
third spurs of Anti-Lebanon, which rose on our right to an alti- 
tude of seven thousand feet, and on which were small patches 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



209 



of snow. We found our camp prepared at "Surghaya," a small 
village, at an altitude of four thousand feet. Our road from 
Damascus, if such it could be called, was most of the way ex- 
ceedingly rocky, steep, and rough; up one hill and down another. 
The next morning was quite cool, and we were in the saddle at 
six o'clock. Before noon, just after ascending a long ridge, one 
of the party, who happened to be in the lead, shouted, ''Baalbek." 
There, in the center of a broad plain, lay the ruins of the once 
famous "Heliopolis," City of the Sun. The temples stood on an 
artificial platform of masonry thirty feet high, nine hundred feet 
long, and five hundred feet wide, with extensive vaults under- 
neath. Three of the stones in this elevation were sixty feet long, 
thirteen feet wide, and the same in height. Nine were thirty feet 
long, thirteen feet high, and fifteen wide. We reached this large 
platform by means of an archway, on an incline two hundred 
and ninety feet long. Six standing columns, seven feet in diam- 
eter, and seventy-five feet high, formerly belonged to the Temple 
of Jupiter. The walls of the Temple of the Sun are nearly perfect. 
In the niches a great number of swallows had their nests, and did 
not like to be disturbed. Little remains of the circular temple. 
Three hundred yards away stood the semicircular Temple of 
Venus, well preserved and beautiful in architecture. 

A ride of one-half mile brought us to the quarries whence 
these vast stones came. There were quite a number of blocks, 
wholly or partially cut, left unused. One of these was sixty-six 
feet long, thirteen and one-half feet wide, and sixteen feet high, 
squared and nearly ready for use. 

From here we proceeded down the valley, halting at the tomb 
of Noah, which looks like an old aqueduct, seventy-five feet long, 
covered with old cloths. That day we called at the village of 
"Zaghlah," which has ten thousand inhabitants, where the words, 
"Hawaggah backsheesh," are never heard. Why? The inhab- 
itants have accepted the Christ, and become Christian. 

That night we found our tents pitched above the town of 
Meehleh, with Mt. Hermon on the southeast, standing nearly 
ten thousand feet above sea-level. 

The day following we crossed the Lebanon range, at an alti- 



2IO 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



tude of five thousand six hundred feet, and descended by the 
French road to Beyrout. Here we stopped at the "Hotel Belle 
View," where we had excellent accommodations. 

Late in the afternoon, on April the 6th, we visited the Prussian 
Cemetery, where Bishop Kingsley is buried. Nearly four years 
before, when leaving us, at the close of the Conference session 
at Central City, Colorado, he gave us his hand, and, as tears 
moistened his eyes, said, "I leave you here to work for the Mas- 
ter; I go, perhaps never to return." Prophetic words! He has 
gone; but his works remain. On April the 8th, at six and a half 
o'clock P. M., we stepped on board the steamship Saturno, bound 
for Constantinople. The next morning our vessel anchored be- 
fore "Larnica," on the Island of Cyprus, which we visited during 
the day, and procured some valuable relics. On our onward 
journey we passed in full view of Rhodes and the Island of 
Patmos, where John had those marvelous revelations recorded 
in the Apocalypse. 

Our ship stopped at Smyrna. The interest here centered in 
and old castle on the hill, and the grave of Polycarp on its slope. 
Thence we sailed in sight of Mount Ida, where iron is said to have 
been discovered by its burning, fourteen hundred and six years 
before Christ, and near which was the siege of Troy. Next we 
passed the Island of Samothracia, and then on through the Hel- 
lespont, across which Byron swam, and caught the ague for so 
doing. 

On Monday, April 14th, we dropped anchor in the Golden 
Horn, Constantinople. Many objects of interest were found 
here; such as the bridge of boats; the numerous bazars; the 
streets lined with dogs; the Turkish bath; the Bosphorus; and 
Roberts College, an American institution; the Mosque of St. 
Sophia, once a Christian church; the armory and the Caique; 
the sultan riding on horseback to prayers, between two lines of 
soldiers, wearing a red fez. The Dervishes have many orders, 
distinguished by peculiarities of faith, ceremony, and costume. 
Some live in monasteries, others dwell in villages; but all pro- 
fess poverty and humility, and some chastity. Their religion pre- 
scribes mortification; but their practices are very often incon- 
sistent with their professed standard. Many of them lead a 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



211 



vagrant life, traveling all over the countries of the East, and 
being supported by convents of their order. The Mevlevis are 
the most numerous. They indulge in fantastic dances, in which 
they whirl around with great rapidity to the music of a flute, 
generally not ceasing until they are overcome by exhaustion, and 
drop on the ground. This ceremony we witnessed until our very 
brains seemed to whirl round and round. 

We left here on Saturday, the 19th, at ten and a half o'clock 
A. M., on the Saturno; passed through the Sea of Marmora by 
daylight, entering the Dardanelles about dark, and changed 
steamers the next evening at the Island of Syra for Athens, 
Greece. 

April 2 1st we sailed through the Gulf of Athens, with the 
Island of Egina on our left, and the mountains of Attica on our 
right, and landed at Pierus, and then took carriages to Athens. 
A busy week was spent in visiting here the many points of inter- 
est. Among them were Mars' Hill, Parthenon, Acropolis, Lyca- 
bettus, Mt. Pentelicus, site of the Olympic games, tower of the 
ancient sundial, Bema of Demosthenes, prison of Socrates, and 
various ruins of theaters and temples; also the king's palace. 

One day a small party of us were standing beside the deeply- 
worn path south of the Acropolis, when the king, queen, and two 
small children came slowly up the grade, driving two horses 
before an open, two-seated spring-wagon. I said to my associates 
in travel, "Yonder comes the king and his family; let us give 
them three cheers." "Agreed," said they. When passing, I said 
in a strong voice, "The United States of America gives three 
cheers to the king of Greece." The king removed his hat, and 
smilingly bowed his appreciation. 

On Saturday evening we returned, by steamer, to the Island 
of Syra, and changed to the steamer Hungarian. On Tuesday 
following, our steamer dropped anchor in the bay adjoining the 
Island of Corfu, where most of our party left us. For nearly three 
months we had journeyed pleasantly together, and became much 
attached to each other; but now our ways diverge, never to meet 
again on earth. 

Our vessel steamed on up the Adriatic, and on May 1, 1873, 
we landed at Trieste, Austria. That evening we took a steamer to 



212 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Venice, Italy; thence by rail to Verona, where we had an excellent 
moonlight view of the Amphitheater. The next day we were in 
the Tyrol Alps, and crossed at the "Brenner Pass," halting at 
Innsbruck over the Sabbath. We next stopped at Munich, and 
visited the famous art-gallery there. 

On Thursday, May 8th, we reached Salzburg, where we paid 
a visit to the famous salt-mines of Austria, which have been 
worked for over three hundred years, and produced twenty-five 
thousand tons of salt annually. The Rev. Mr. Loomis and the 
writer visited Hallein. Here we ascended a long hill, on foot, 
to the Duremberg mine, paid a fee, donned miners' suits, and 
entered a long tunnel, so low in places that we could not walk 
erect. The levels in this mine were about one hundred feet apart, 
and the method of descent from one to the next was by a tobog- 
gan-slide nine inches wide, having a smooth pole on each side, 
and a rope on the right, by which to regulate the speed. Before 
plunging into the depths below, a leather apron is attached to the 
seat of the pants for a protection. The guide then sits in front, 
holding the rope with his gloved right hand; the next man sits 
close up, with his feet thrown around into the lap of the guide, 
and all the others seated in like manner, one behind the other. 
When all is ready, the word is given, and away they go, like a 
dart from a gun. As they near the end, the speed is slackened 
by a tighter grip on the rope. We enjoyed six of these rides, and 
they were not at all unpleasant. On one of the levels there was 
a salt lake, perhaps a hundred feet across, over which we rode 
in a boat. This lake, in the very heart of the mountain, when 
lighted up, was like an amphitheater. We emerged from the 
mountain at its base, through a long tunnel, on a car, such as 
miners use. 

The salt water is conveyed in four large pipes to the town 
below, where the process of evaporation, by boiling, goes on 
day and night. 

Hastening to the town, we entered a restaurant, where a 
neatly-dressed German girl took our orders; we could not speak 
German, nor she English. Some way we made her to under- 
stand that we wanted bread, butter, and tea; but we could go no 
further. She helped us out by saying, "Steak mit-ei?" "Ya, ya," 



ECHOES FROM ABROAD. 



213 



we said, wondering what she would bring us. Imagine our 
agreeable surprise, when she returned with a nice thick piece 
of broiled steak, cooked "rare," with a fresh egg in the center. 
Ever after, when in a German restaurant, we always ordered, 
"Steak mit-ei." 

From here we went by rail to Lenz on the Danube, and down 
that river to Wien (Vienna), and visited the International Expo- 
sition; then on to Prague, Dresden, Berlin, Frankfort-on-the- 
Main, Worms, Mayence, and thence, by steamer, down the Rhine 
to Cologne, where we spent the Sabbath. Then on to Rotter- 
dam, and across the North Sea, by steamer, to London, England, 
where we landed, after a stormy passage, on the morning of May 
20, 1873. On the following Sabbath we heard Spurgeon twice, 
and, after the evening service, joined with him and his people in 
partaking of the Holy Communion, at the close of which Rev. 
J. Brown, the successor of John Bunyan, introduced the writer 
to Mr. Spurgeon, who seemed very much exhausted. Holding 
my hand, he said, "Was not the congregation an inspiration to- 
night? I feel completely pumped out." He remained seated 
during the whole sacrament and the interviews afterward. 

On our way back to Scotland we touched at the following 
points: Bedford, where John Bunyan was confined in prison so 
long, and where he wrote the "Pilgrim's Progress;" Elstow, 
where he married and went to housekeeping; Leeds; New 
Castle; Edinburgh; Glasgow; thence down the Clyde, by small 
steamer, to Greenock, where we stepped on board the steam- 
ship Victoria, of the Anchor Line, and sailed on the evening of 
May 31st, landing in New York at five and a half P. M. of June 
10th, thankful for God's preserving care over us. One seldom 
appreciates fully his own country, until he has visited other lands 
and climes. 



Happy Clime. 



Have you heard, have you heard of that sunbright clime, 
Undimmed by sorrow, unhurt by time, 
"Where age hath no power o'er the fadeless frame, 
"Where the eye is fire, and the heart is flame — 
Have you heard of that sunbright clime? 

A river of water gushes there, 
'Mid flowers of beauty strangely fair, 
And a thousand wings are hovering o'er 
The dazzling wave and the golden shore, 
That are seen in that sunbright clime. 

Millions of forms, all clothed in white, 
In garments of beauty, clear and bright, 
There dwell in their own immortal bowers, 
'Mid fadeless hues of countless flowers, 
That bloom in that sunbright clime. 

Ear hath not heard, and eye hath not seen, 
Their swelling songs, and their changeless sheen; 
Their ensigns are waving, their banners unfurl, 
O'er the jasper wall and gates of pearl, 
That are fixed in that sunbright clime. 

But far, far away in that sinless clime, 
Undimmed by sorrow and unhurt by time, 
"Where, amid all things bright and fair is given, 
The home of the just, and its name is heaven — 
The name of that sunbright clime. 
214 



PART IV. 



Echoes from Colorado Methodism. 

215 



Itinerant Life. 



My lot has been to sow the seeds of friendship here and there. 
And see them grow to firm-laced vines, with flowers sweet and fair; 
And then to loose these clinging stems, these tendrils strong and true, 
And change, with many sad regrets, the old friends for the new. 

Thus have I gathered, here and there, my choicest friends on earth. 
And, but for my itinerant ways, I ne'er had known their worth; 
And so what seems a wandering life, freighted with sad good-byes, 
Like many other seeming ills, is blessing in disguise, 

—Mrs. M. M. H. 

216 



I. 



COLORADO. 

The beginnings of history are usually difficult to trace. Colo- 
rado is no exception to this rule. It has seemed proper to insert 
the following historic facts from authentic sources: 

"Although the first white settlement was made in Colorado 
but forty years ago, there is no other State in the Union with a 
history so replete with thrilling interest and adventure. 

"Its northen half was a portion of the territory belonging to 
France, and purchased from Napoleon the Great in 1803 by the 
United States — being part of what is popularly known as the 
Louisiana Purchase. The southeast quarter of it formerly be- 
longed to Mexico, was a part of the Republic of Texas, and was 
admitted into the Union as a part of Texas in 1845. Texas sub- 
sequently sold it to the United States for the sum of $5,000,000, 
when it was merged into the unoccupied and unorganized terri- 
tory of the General Government. The southwest one-quarter in- 
disputably belonged to Mexico until ceded to the United States 
by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, at the close of the Mexican 
War. Thus the territory that now comprises the State of Colo- 
rado has, part of it belonged to France, part to the Republic and 
State of Texas, and part to Mexico. It involved in its acquisition 
the far-seeing statesmanship of Jefferson ; the Spartan-like strug- 
gle of Houston, Bowie, and Crockett for Texan independence; 
the heroic battle-fields of Goliad, San Jacinto, San Antonio, and 
the Alamo; the generalship of Scott and Taylor, and the heroic 
victories of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, and Buena 
Vista. 

"It was in 1838 — but sixty years ago — that Daniel Webster, 
upon the floor of the Senate, in referring to the then unex- 
plored and unknown country between the Missouri and the Pa- 
cific, spoke thus contemptuously of what now constitutes more 
than a dozen States and three Territories: What do we want with 
this vast worthless area — this region of savages and wild beasts, 

217 



218 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of deserts, shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of cactus and 
prairie-dogs? To what use could we ever hope to put these great 
deserts, or those endless mountain ranges, impregnable and cov- 
ered to their very base with eternal snow? What use have we for 
such a country? . . . Mr. President, I will never vote one 
cent from the public treasury to place the Pacific Coast one inch 
nearer to Boston than it now is.' Colorado was the very center 
of this bleak, hostile, and repellent picture. If Webster could but 
return to this mundane sphere, what would be his wonder and 
astonishment! 

"Three hundred and fifty years ago, the Spanish, under Vas- 
quez Coronado, started an expedition from Mexico in search of 
gold. They reached the latitude of Denver, and doubtless halted 
in their march not far from its site; for being in search of gold in 
the sands of the streams, they would naturally keep near to the 
mountains. Lewis and Clark in 1803, Captain Pike in 1807, 
Major Long in 1820, were the first American explorers to reach 
the mountains. They all found gold, but gave gloomy pictures 
of the land and its dangers. In 1858, Green Russell and his 
Georgian followers penetrated to where Black Hawk and Central 
now are, and there found gold in such quantities that the fame of 
the country spread abroad, and its history has been one of con- 
tinuous growth and prosperity ever since. 

"It is not unusual to regard Colorado as a State whose pro- 
ducts are almost exclusively gold and silver. It is true, its out- 
put of the precious metals is greater than that of any other like 
area of country in the world. Last year, 1897, it reached the 
magnificent sum of, gold, $22,000,000, silver, $15,000,000; and 
since the discovery of gold in 1858 its total yield of gold and sil- 
ver has been more than $400,000,000. But its manufacturing and 
agricultural productions, each far exceeds that of its precious 
metals. The value of its manufactured articles reached the sum 
of $51,000,000 in 1891 alone. The grain, hay, and vegetables 
raised upon its soil in 1897 amounted to $23,000,000. Its fruit 
was of the value of $5,000,000. There were mined in a single year 
more than $12,000,000 worth of coal, and of paving and building 
stone nearly 13,000 car-loads were taken from the quarries, and 
distributed over the continent. 



COLORADO. 



219 



"We blush to speak of its climate. So much has been said in 
praise of it, that to say more puts modesty itself to the blush. 
Sometimes warm, but never hot ; sometimes cold, but always brac- 
ing; sometimes rainy, but never loaded with enervating vapors — 
for weather, it is a paradise; for health, a sanitarium. 

"And what incomparable pleasure resorts! Manitou Springs, 
Glenwood Springs, Poncha Hot Sulphur Springs, Idaho, Liberty 
and Mount Princeton Springs — all nestled in the vast network 
of peaks, valleys, ravines, and canons — affording luxurious ease 
to the dilettante, vigorous health to the invalid, game and fish 
to the mightiest devotees of the rod and gun, and scenery that is 
without a parallel in the world." 

The first Fourth of July celebration in Colorado was held, in 
1843, by Colonel John C. Fremont, William Gilpin, Kit Carson, 
Lucian Maxwell, Jim Baker, and others, at Fort St. Vrain, which 
was built by Colonel Bent for a trading-post, opposite the mouth 
of the creek of the same name, on the east bank of the Platte 
River, and about four miles below where Platteville now stands. 
This fort was one hundred and fifty feet square, adobe walls, with 
port-holes along the sides for observation and defense. The 
Stars and Stripes floated proudly over its walls, when Fremont's 
old howitzer rang out its salute at daylight, and was answered 
back by the echoes from the distant mountains. 

A company of men from Kansas and Missouri celebrated the 
"Fourth" where Pueblo now stands, July, 1858. 

The next Fourth of July celebration was after the regulation 
style of the East, and was held under the cottonwood-trees of 
the Platte River in Auraria, now West Denver, in 1859. Rev. 
W. H. Goode, superintendent of the "Pike's Peak Mission," of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, offered the prayer. 

The whisperings of gold-finds had reached the ears of the in- 
habitants of the border States, and awakened much interest in 
this mountain country. As a sample of how things were done in 
those early days in this region, I give the following reliable ac- 
count: 

September 15, 1858, A. G. Barnes, Esq., and his brother-in- 
law, Joseph Brockett, started westward from their homes in 
Plattsmouth, Nebraska, in search of hidden treasure. Their con- 



220 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ception of the Rocky Mountains was very vague indeed. "They 
pushed on, picking out their own route, and breaking the road 
for their mules and wagon. They experienced much trouble in 
traveling; but not once did they lose heart, or think of returning 
home. After a while they fell in with a party of fifteen men from 
Brownsville, Nebraska, under the leadership of Captain Aikens. 
From that time on their labors were easier, and they made good 
time across the plains. Strange as it appeared to them, they had 
no trouble with the Indians, although numerous bands were met. 
It was a year when the savages were more inclined to beg and 
steal than fight. 

''After a weary march of thirty-five days, the party arrived at 
Fort Lupton. There Mr. Barnes learned that an old acquaint- 
ance, named Slawter, who had been at the fort, had started up the 
Platte with a few men on a gold-hunting expedition. He deter- 
mined to follow him; alone and afoot he took up the trail. On 
the way he met a man who was going to the fort in quest of sup- 
plies. This stranger exhibited a small quantity of gold in a 
goosequill, which he said he had picked out of the sand in the 
Platte at a point about three miles above where Denver now 
stands. This was the first gold discovery made in this locality. 
The sight of gold in the hands of the stranger quickened Barnes's 
steps, and he lost no time in joining Slawter and his men. Others 
followed him, and in a few days about one hundred men were 
scattered up and down the Platte and Cherry Creek. 

"Soon the cold winds began to blow from the mountains, and 
preparations for the winter were made. The well-known Russell 
and his men, Slawter and Barnes and Brockett, erected eight or 
ten log-cabins, from small cottonwood-trees, in what is now- 
known as West Denver, not far from the intersection of Holla- 
day (now Market) and Twelfth Streets. 

"One evening, while a dozen men were enjoying their pipes 
around a roaring, crackling log fire, one of the pioneers, with an 
eye to business, made a proposition. 'Boys,' he said suddenly, 
after a long reverie, 'let 's start a town.' The idea was thought 
to be a good one, and the very next day a meeting was called 
in one of the largest cabins. About twenty men were present. 
A president was elected, and a young man named Blake, pre- 



COLORADO. 



221 



sumably the same one whose name was given to Blake Street, 
was made secretary. The organization was very simple. The 
president of the meeting was given control of things, and em- 
powered to deal out justice, while Blake was to handle the funds 
and keep a record. By-laws were adopted, the greater portion 
of which went to show that every man who erected a house or 
cabin was entitled to a share of the joint property of the little 
commonwealth. Some one suggested that the town be called 
Auraria, and that name was unanimously adopted." This meet- 
ing was held October 25, 1858. 

About this time, or perhaps a little later, a small party of men 
camped on the east side of Cherry Creek. They decided that 
there was the place for a city. "Coming events cast their shad- 
ows before." One of the number told the writer in 1869, that 
they found themselves "broke," with nothing else to do; and 
having a surveyor and his instruments with them, they laid out 
a town, naming it after the then Governor of Kansas Territory — 
Denver. 

The gentleman to whom I am indebted for the above informa- 
tion, afterward traded his interest in the town-site for a span of 
mules, harness, wagon, and "grub" enough to get back to the 
States, thinking that he made a good bargain. 

A. H. Barker built the first cabin in Auraria, after the town 
was named, at the corner of Wynkoop and Twelfth Streets, he 
having arrived, October 28, 1858. About two hundred men win- 
tered in the vicinity of the "Spanish Diggings." These were 
where the bridge crosses the Platte River at Valverde. 

In the spring of 1859 the "Jackson Diggings," now Idaho 
Springs, and the Gregory Lode, near Central City, were un- 
covered. 

In June, 1859, each town had about one hundred and fifty 
houses and shanties of different grades. Lots then sold at from 
twenty to four hundred dollars each. 

One can hardly conceive the state of things here thirty-seven 
years ago (i860). Then there was only one small brick house in 
Denver, owned by John H. Keeler. A few adobes made up 
Pueblo. A few cabins at Golden City, Boulder, and Colorado 
City. Mountain City was the principal mining town, next in 



222 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



population to Denver. The country was without even a Terri- 
torial government. Said Jerome B, Chafee in 1883: "It was in 
appearance a wilderness of waste; the western part rugged, in- 
hospitable mountains; the whole skirted and in some degree 
traversed by Indians, upon whose lands we were necessarily tres- 
passers. The principal farmer was Rufus Clark, better known as 
'Potato Clark.' Only one rudely-constructed 'six-stamp mill' 
near Mountain City. There were few roads, no bridges, and only 
one stage-line, which connected Denver with the Missouri River 
on the east, and California on the Pacific. There were no rich 
men to grind the faces of the poor; for all were poor alike, brave 
and honest. The Pike's Peak country did not then inspire the 
newcomer with much hope for the bright future, which we now 
see. Then it took ten days, night and day, to reach Denver. I 
invited my comrade to take a drink. I laid down a. twenty-dollar 
gold-piece, waited some time for change, finally spoke to the 
clerk about it, when he said, 'That was all right.' That trans- 
action made one temperance man! The first woman to reach 
these diggings was Mrs. Roker. The next was Aunt Clara 
Brown, black of skin, but white of heart. Mrs. Murat was the 
most patriotic lady; she made a flag of her red, white, and blue 
petticoat." 

Think of flour, by the wagon-load, at thirty dollars per 
sack; blasting-powder twenty-five dollars a keg; everything else 
in proportion. Those were brave hearts that struggled on 
through every conceivable and inconceivable difficulty. As a 
result, behold the marvel of the world — the Colorado of to-day; 
the Centennial State! 

In those early days, Bishop Machebeuf, of the Roman Catholic 
Church, says he met an Indian, who handed him a note of recom- 
mendation, which read: "The bearer is the greatest thief and 
rascal to be found on the Plains." 

At a meeting of the citizens of the two towns in 1863, it was 
decided to consolidate under the common name of Denver. 
At this time the usually dry bed of Cherry Creek was nearly 
built over. A flood in the early morning of May 20, 1864, swept 
the buildings all away; in one of which was the printing-office 
of the Rocky Mountain News, the city safe and records. These 



COLORADO. 



223 



have never been found. The building used as a Methodist 
church, where the Conference had been organized the year pre- 
vious, was also carried away. Since that time there has been no 
interference with Cherry Creek's right of way through the city 
of Denver. 

The Centennial State, on its eastern boundary-line, extends 
from north to south 276 miles and a fraction; the western is the 
same in length ; the northern line, east and west, is 367 miles and 
a fraction; the southern boundary-line is 386 miles. Colorado 




THE SPANISH PEAKS. 

■ 

contains 103,563,638 square miles. In area, it is equal to the six 
New England States, with New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and 
the District of Columbia thrown in, and with still nearly 20,000 
square miles to spare. 

About two-thirds of the State are mountains, hills, valleys, 
and "Parks." One-third is slightly undulating plains. Colorado 
is said to have forty peaks which are over fourteen thousand 
feet above sea-level. Her farming lands are rich and very pro- 
ductive. Irrigation is necessary in most localities. Cereals and 
vegetables do well. Stock and fruit raising is a success. Dairy- 
ing pays. Mountains and hills are fairly covered with pine and 
other timber. Mineral wealth is inexhaustible, both in the baser 
and precious metals. Superior stone and marble exist in large 
quantities. Colorado people could almost live independent of all 
other sections, and be happy. 
15 



II. 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 

Before there was an organized government of any kind in 
this Rocky Mountain region, the authorities of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in the Mississippi Valley became deeply inter- 
ested in providing for the spiritual welfare of the people who had 
crossed the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers, headed for 
"Pike's Peak," to better their financial condition. Many of these, 
failing to pick up the "gold nuggets" which they expected, 
squatted here and there along the streams issuing from the moun- 
tains, and went to work making hay, growing stock, gardening, 
and farming by irrigation as soon as they learned how. 

The Kansas and Nebraska Conference of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church began its fourth session in Omaha, Nebraska, April 
14, 1859. Bishop Scott not having arrived, a president pro tern. 
was elected. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was adminis- 
tered, and the Conference proceeded to business. On the morn- 
ing of the second day the bishop took the chair. The attendance 
was full, representing sixty-nine fields of labor, inclusive of 
districts. Sixty-one preachers received their appointments from 
this Conference. The aggregate lay membership was 3,636, 

A new subject of interest presented itself to the minds of the 
Conference and of the "cabinet." The emigration to the gold- 
fields of the Rocky Mountains had begun the year previous. The 
numbers were increasing from day to day. It is estimated that 
one hundred thousand persons crossed the Missouri River in 
April and May of that year, bound for the mountains. Many of 
our members were being attracted thither. The Church, faithful 
to her pioneer calling, said, "The gospel must be sent there," 
and sounded the cry, "Who w T ill go for us?" 

When the subject was considered in the "cabinet," the bishop 
intimated to W. PI. Goode, who had organized the work west of 
the Missouri River five years previous, and had superintended 
it since, that he would like to have him explore that "unknown 
quantity" in the western mining regions. At first he refused. 

224 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



225 



After deliberating over the matter a few days, Brother Goode 
visited the Missouri Conference, then in session, and said to the 
bishop by his presence, "Here am I, send me." This was accord- 
ingly done, and Jacob Adriance, just appointed to the Rock 
Bluffs Mission, below Omaha, was designated as his associate. 

A four-mule team, stout wagon, and suitable outfit were pur- 
chased at St. Joseph, Missouri, 
for the use of the intrepid mis- 
sionaries. 

Rev. Jacob Adriance, now of 
Jamestown, Nebraska, thus de- 
scribes the journey: 

"A little more than two 
weeks were spent in getting 
ready for this trip of six hundred 
miles across the Plains. It was 
arranged that we should go to- 
gether, Brother Goode furnish- 
ing conveyance and supplies, I 
paying him, in part, for my pas- 
sage, doing my share of the 
work and watching nights. We 
also had a young man to drive 
for us, making three in our 
party. By the time we were ready to start, hundreds had reached 
Cherry Creek. Many, not rinding things as they expected, 
"stampeded" for the States. In their flight property was de- 
stroyed, lives threatened, all along the way." 

Rev. W. H. Goode, in his "Outposts of Zion," says of the 
excited throngs, going and returning: "Some were thoughtful 
and considerate; others were of a class that float banners, flourish 
revolvers, and ostentatiously display the 'pick and pan.' Some 
had wheelbarrows, others handcarts, still others on foot carry- 
ing their tents and scanty supplies, having nearly six hundred 
miles to go across an uninhabited plain. Some went through, 
others half-way; but by far the larger number only a short dis- 
tance. Enough reached Cherry Creek to produce a heavy pres- 




226 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



sure on their scanty supplies of provisions, became restless, and 
back they rushed, carrying the most doleful reports. 'No gold! 
Humbug! Famine! Murder!' etc. Party after party were turned 
back. Those who did go through were compelled to take down 
their banner for Tike's Peak,' and say they were going to Cali- 
fornia. Men were told of their own death by those who averred 
that they themselves had done the deed, or participated in it. One 
saw his own grave and epitaph in several different places." 

Amid such scenes and in such times did Goode and Adriance 
start for and press on to this unpromising field of labor; leaving 
Goode's home, three miles southeast of Glenwood, Iowa, at ten 
A. M. of May 30, 1859, and crossing the Missouri River at Platts- 
mouth, Nebraska. The next morning they pulled out for their 
trip across the plains. Though meeting the returning throngs, 
they pursued their way steadily onward, spending the last Sab- 
bath before reaching their destination, near Fort St. Vrain, which 
stood just below where Platteville is now situated. 

Brother Goode drove his four-mule team into Denver at half- 
past two P. M., on Tuesday, June 28, 1859; Brother Adriance 
following on his pony. They had six months' provisions for two. 
Their trip had been one of great fatigue and exposure during the 
twenty-eight days en route. After putting up notices for preach- 
ing on the following Sabbath, they drove four miles up the Platte 
to get feed for their animals. 

Allen Wiley's motto was theirs, "Methodist preachers are in a 
pushing world, and they must push also." Experience soon 
taught them that the best way to get a crowd was to sing it up. 
Their first service was held July 3, 1859, in Pollock's Hotel. 
This was a frame building, one of the three or four only in the 
two towns of Auraria, now West Denver, and Denver City. This 
house stood on the east side of Eleventh Street, between Wazee 
and Market Streets. Brother Goode preached at eleven A. M., 
and Brother Adriance at three P. M. The congregations were 
small, the people not caring for these things. They found, how- 
ever, two men who had been Methodists; Henry Reitze and Alex- 
ander Carter. The latter gentleman resides in Nebraska, but the 
former still lives in the city, and has been a standard-bearer for 
the Church during all these thirty-nine years. In 1872 he helped 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



227 



to organize the California Street, now Christ Church; also, at 
a later date, the German Methodist Episcopal Church. He was 
born December 18, 1830, in Kuhr, Hessen, Germany. In 1848 
he went to London, England, where he learned the baker's 
trade. From there he emigrated to the United States, in Novem- 
ber, 1854. He was converted in the spring of 1855, in Bridgeport, 
Connecticut. Here he learned the painter's trade. In the spring 
of 1856 he came to Omaha, Nebraska. There John M. Chiving- 
ton received him into the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. He 
started, October 1, 1858, for 
"Pike's Peak," reaching Fort 
Lupton, twenty-five miles north- 
east of where Denver now 
stands, on the 30th of the same 
month, stopping there in an 
adobe building for about a 
month. He then came up to 
Auraria, and started the "City 
Bakery," with only six cents f 
capital, it being all the money I 
he had in the world. Eight [ 
months afterward he sold out to ( 
his partner for $3,500, and re- 
turned to Omaha, where he was 
married to Miss Matilda Schlessinger. He and his bride came 
to Denver, where they have resided, either in or near the city, 
ever since. Upon his return he engaged in the painting business, 
which his sons now continue. Eight children have graced their 
home. One has gone hence, dying young. The others live in 
the city of their birth. They have a very pleasant home at the 
corner of Marion and Twenty-third Avenue. He was the first 
Methodist to join the Church in Denver, and was one of the first 
Board of Stewards. This society afterwards became Lawrence 
Street, now Trinity. Brothers Goode and Adriance took their 
first meal in Denver at Henry Reitze's table. He at that time 
kept a bakery and lunch-room on Eleventh Street, between 
Wazee and Market Streets, fronting southwest. 



228 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



July 4th they started for the ''Gregory Diggings," discov- 
ered by Green Russell and the Georgians in June, 1858, now 
better known as Black Hawk, Central City, and Nevada. They 
halted long enough in Golden City to hold religious services in 
a "round tent," the gamblers stopping their games for one hour 
to let Goode preach, but claiming the next hour. 

They attempted to drive into the mountains through the 
"Golden Gate," which is a little north of Golden City. The trail 
was so rough that they were compelled to "about face," and 
camp in a little park outside of the mountains, where the wagon, 
driver, and three mules were left. 

Then they proceeded on pony and mule back, "packed to the 
full measure of comfort," to the "Gregory Diggings," where 
they arrived on Friday, July 8th. Immediately they announced 
preaching on the next Sabbath, at ten A. M. 

The streets of Mountain City were dusty. The congregation 
was large and attentive; all men. Goode preached on the street 
to that mass of humanity with great power. That afternoon at 
two P. M. he held an experience-meeting in a retired place on 
the rocky seats of a mountain spur. Oft has the writer heard 
that "love-feast" described by those who were present. Here 
were men gathered from nearly all lands and climes. This was 
the first meeting of the kind ever held in the Rocky Mountain 
region. They sang the old hymns, wept over their shortcomings, 
and shouted for joy as they related their experiences of a personal 
salvation. So great was their "refreshing," that those who were 
present have never forgotten it. Sad the thought, the great 
majority has "crossed the range" to that land "whence no traveler 
returns." 

At its close Brother Goode received thirty-five members into 
the Church. The next day, Monday, at ten o'clock, he organized 
a Quarterly-meeting Conference at the same place, formed a 
charge, embracing the mining camps in that region and en- 
gaged G. W. Fisher, a local elder, to supply the work. This 
man Fisher had preached the first gospel sermon in Denver, 
and had also preached on this identical spot on a preceding 
Sabbath. 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



229 



The first* service, the first experience-meeting, and the first 
Quarterly Conference, at Central City, were each held on the 
site where the Methodist Episcopal church now stands. 

(David S. Green, Esq., subscribed $250, which was by far 
the largest contribution. The result of that effort, after years 
of heroic struggle, may be seen in the accompanying cut. The 




CHURCH IN CENTRAL, CITY. 



subscription-paper was drawn January 1, 1863, to secure funds 
for building a church in Central City, Colorado, and was to be 
paid in three installments; namely, one-third in February, one- 
third in April, and the last in June, 1863.) 

They visited the mining-camps along the valley of Clear 
Creek, returning to the camp they had left by that route, which 
at that time was an exceedingly rough one. They suffered no 
little from the want of proper covering at night, as they had to 
sleep under the pine-trees on the bare ground. 

Sunday, July 17th, Brother Goode preached morning and 
evening at Golden City in the "round tent." Four persons joined 

* A. H. Barker's private diary says that Rev. Mr. Porter, of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, South, from Georgia, preached the first sermon in Central 
City, June, 1859, from Deut. v, 29, on the above mentioned locality. 



230 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



the Church. Adriance preached at five o'clock in Arapahoe, 
Three united with the Church there. This town was located on 
the farm, since occupied by George Allen, about a mile east of 
North Table Mountain, on the "mesa," where a stone house now 
stands, just south of the railroad track, and west of Mt. Olivet 
Cemetery. On Sunday, July 24th, Goode preached at Arapahoe, 
morning and evening. 

Their camp at this time was on Ralston Creek. Monday, the 
25th, they moved over on the north side of the Platte River, two 
miles below Denver, just above where Globeville is now located. 

Sunday, July 31st, Dr. Goode preached in Denver City, in the 
house of a Mr. Doleman, on the north side of Lawrence Street, 
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets. At three P. M. a 
Brother Monholland, a local preacher from Iowa, preached in 
Auraria. 

On Friday their camp was moved to the southeast side of the 
river, about four miles north of Denver City. This was not far 
from where the Riverside Cemetery now is. 

Rev. W. H. Goode wrote to Dr. Durbin, corresponding secre- 
tary of the Missionary Society: "We have divided the work into 
two districts, as follows: 1. Denver City and Auraria Mission; 
embracing the two places named in the above, with the country 
along the Platte on both sides, the country up Cherry Creek, 
the towns at the base of the mountains, and 'Boulder Diggings' 
in the mountains (probably the region of Gold Hill),. We have 
organized in this field a Quarterly-meeting Conference, consist- 
ing of the preacher in charge, three stewards, and one leader. 
The membership so far ascertained and enrolled is twenty-two. 
The mission is under the charge of Rev. Jacob Adriance, ap- 
pointed by Bishop Scott. His post-office address is Denver, Kan- 
sas Territory. The Rocky Mountain Mission embraces all the 
mining regions in the mountains, except 'Boulder Diggings.' 
Here we have organized a Quarterly Conference, consisting of 
two local preachers, an exhorter, three stewards, and have a 
society of fifty-one members, including probationers just re- 
ceived. I have employed Rev. G. W. Fisher to take charge of 
this mission. The principal seat of our permanent labors will be 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



231 



in Denver and Auraria." These words are rather prophetic, when 
we recollect that most people then thought that Golden City 
would be by far the larger place. 

During Dr. Goode's second visit to Denver, the meeting of 
one hundred and twenty delegates to petition Congress to form 
a Territory of this Rocky Mountain region was held. He was 
their chaplain. Again he writes: "A momentary leisure in the 
midst of many engagements enables me to sketch another letter 
while seated in the room of the Convention, now in session for 
the purpose of forming a constitution for the 'State of Jefferson.' 
I necessarily pass by incidental details — such as removal to the 
Platte, Sabbath labors, the organization of several societies and 
Quarterly Conferences. Arrangements are made for receiving 
lots in both Denver and Auraria, on which it is hoped temporary 
houses of worship will be erected before winter." 

The memorial to Congress was passed on the sixth day of the 
Convention's session. Alexander Carter was selected as their 
representative to Congress. 

August 7th, Brother Goode preached in Auraria at eleven 
o'clock, and at three P. M. in Denver City. At the close of the 
last sermon, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was adminis- 
tered, the first time in this region. 

Having accomplished that for which he was sent, the next 
thing to do was to report personally to the General Missionary 
Committee, of which he was a member. This was to meet in 
New York City November 1st, and he was eight hundred miles 
from the nearest railroad station in Iowa. 

On Monday, August 8, 1859, at ten A. M., he and his teamster 
broke camp, and pulled out down the Platte River, with two 

passengers, for "the States," leaving Brother A "on the old 

camp-ground," by the river bank, who felt like singing, 

"No foot of land do I possess," etc. 

That afternoon Henry Reitze came down with a wagon, and 

conveyed Brother A , with his little effects, up to his cabin 

in Auraria. Prior to this, owing to the high price of board and 
lodging, Adriance had rented a log-cabin, 12 x 14, for ten dollars 
a month. It stood on Twelfth Street, between Larimer and Law- 



232 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

rence. Brother A , twenty-seven years afterward, describes 

his cabin and surroundings at that time, thus: "The logs were 
hewn, corners trimmed, no chimney, fronted west, a double-sash 
window in the east, which had been imported from New Mexico. 
The roof was clapboarded with split shingles, not unlike barrel- 
staves, then covered with dirt, through which the stove-pipe ex- 
tended, from the little sheet-iron stove in the southeast corner; 
dirt floor; rough boards for a door. I covered the ground with 
hay, made a table, bedstead, two stools, and, with a little camp- 
stove, a tin plate, cup, knife and fork, two blankets, and a buffalo- 
robe, I commenced housekeeping. I felt like a stranger in a 
strange land; more strange among a still stranger people, sur- 
rounded with circumstances and conditions still more strange; 
for none of them cared for religious things. Trading, traffick- 
ing, drinking, and gambling were the order of the day, seven days 
in the week, interspersed with the occasional shooting of a man. 

"A white woman or a child was a curiosity. Men would leave 
their glasses and cards, and rush frantically to the door, exclaim- 
ing: 'A woman! a woman! a child! a child! as either appeared 
coming into town. I do not forget the loneliness experienced, 
following Brother Goode's departure, as I traveled in that un- 
organized society. My custom was to hold class-meeting after 
each service. 

"During the summer my congregations were nearly all new- 
comers, every time. In many respects it was a pleasant year, 
though one of hard work and many privations, often sleeping 
on the ground, or in wagons, or anywhere that I could straighten 
out and keep warm. I felt it was for the Master, and that noth- 
ing that could be endured was too hard. I knew that I was a 
poor stick for such a work; yet I did seek to lay good foun- 
dations upon which others should build. How I longed for the 
society of ministers and of pious people! For a time Brother 
Reitze was the only religious man in the two towns, with whom 
I could converse." 

Who wonders at his being lonesome? Previously he had 
taken time by the forelock, mowed with a scythe, and put up 
three tons of hay on Ralston Creek. He borrowed two yoke of 
oxen and a wagon, hired a man to help, hauled it to Arapahoe, 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



233 



and stacked it for safe keeping. After building himself a log 
stable and yard to put the hay in, he hauled it with the same team 
to Auraria. 

On Friday, August nth, Brother A started for Boulder, 

by the way of Arapahoe and Golden, arriving at the former place 
the next day. At Boulder he stopped with a family by the name 
of Fay, and preached, from John iii, 16, in the log house of a 
Mr. Moore, which stood near, if not upon, the present site of 
the court-house. This is said to have been the first sermon in 
Boulder County, and was delivered on the 13th of August, 1859. 
He took dinner with a Mr. Williams. At four o'clock that after- 
noon he preached in the same place from Matthew xiii, 23, and 
received one member into the Church. 

On Monday night, the 14th, he preached ten miles north of 
Boulder, at the foot of the mountains, at a place called Spring- 
ville, to a large and attentive congregation, from Isaiah lv, 6. 
There was only one house in the place, and that was occupied by 
a family by the name of McClain. 

As near as can now be ascertained, this was on Left Hand, a 
little northwest of Haystack Mountain. 

Wednesday, the 15th, he visited ''the Boulder Diggings," 
now Gold Hill; but, owing to rain, held no service. Returned to 
Auraria on the 19th. His second visit to Boulder was on the 3d 
of September, when he preached in the upper room of a saloon. 
His third visit was on the 25th, when, on the 27th, he preached at 
"Gold Hill." 

Of his return from this trip, Brother A says: "On the 

night of September 28th, I was on my way from Boulder to 
Auraria, on the old 'Cherokee Trail.' At Clear Creek, being be- 
lated, I had camped for the night by a haystack. A cold rain 
setting in about midnight, my pony being poor and in danger of 
becoming chilled, I started for home; became lost on the south 
side of the creek. The rain turned to snow about two o'clock. 
I kept warm by walking forward and back for about four rods, 
one blanket on pony and one on self. In the morning the snow 
was four inches deep, and I was four miles from town, which I 
was glad to reach about sunrise. This snow brought most of the 
miners out of the mountains, where the snow was much deeper, 



234 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



wintering there being supposed impracticable. They mostly re- 
turned to the 'States.' Many, however, stopped in the valley, at 
different places outside of the mountains." 

Rev. G. W. Fisher, in charge of the mountain appointments, 
found the miners going, or gone, so he came to Auraria, and 



4& 














^ I 


-\ \ 


• 




r 




h 

[ 













NO. 1465 ELEVENTH STREET. 
(Probably the oldest house in Denver.) 



"bached" with Brother A during the winter. Likewise did 

a local preacher by the name of Abraham Huette. Brother 

F was a carpenter by trade, and during the winter he built 

a house for Brother Reitze on Eleventh Street, which is yet 
standing at No. 1465. 

There was no religious organization of any kind when 
Brothers Goode and Adriance reached Denver. Methodism had 
been first on the ground to supply the agencies of the Church 
to these bold pioneers. 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



235 



Late in the fall of 1859, an °W gentleman, Rev. J. H. Kehler, 
an Episcopal clergyman, with his two daughters, came to the 
city, and their first service was held January 20, i860. The re- 
sult was "St. John's Church in the Wilderness," on the corner 
of Arapahoe and Fourteenth Streets, where the Haish Manual 
Training-school building, of the University of Denver, now 
stands. His successor is Dean Hart and the Protestant Epis- 
copal cathedral. 

November 27, 1859, Brother A organized a class of six 

members in Boulder, consisting of Brothers McLeod and wife, 
Becker and wife, Mitchel and wife. 

February 6, i860, he organized a class of ten members in 
Golden, with James W. Stanton leader. In the list of names is 
that of Abraham Slater, now a member of the Church at Wheat- 
ridge. 

The Kansas and Nebraska Conference met in Leavenworth, 

Kansas Territory, March 15, i860. Brother A started for 

that Conference on February 16th, by the Jones and Russell's 
stage-line, Major R. B. Bradford, agent, having furnished him 
a "pass" to Fort Kearney. It took four days to reach that 
point, traveling day and night. Then he had one hundred and 
eighty miles to go in private conveyance to reach Omaha, taking 
six days more. One very cold night he was compelled to lie 
out on the plains without fire. From Omaha he proceeded by 
stage to St. Joseph, Missouri, one hundred and ten miles. Then 
by boat to Leavenworth, Kansas. 

The Conference recognized the importance of this work by 
inserting in its Minutes statistical returns from "Pike's Peak," 
and by creating a "Rocky Mountain District." The following 
resolution was also passed: 

"Resolved, That the General Conference be requested to make con- 
tingent provision for the organization of an Annual Conference, to em- 
brace the mining regions of the Rocky Mountains, at a period prior to 
the session of the General Conference of 1864, by authorizing the bishop 
to make such organization, should the continued emigration be such as, 
in their judgment, to render the measure necessary. 

"(Signed,) William H. Goode, 
Isaac F. Collins." 



236 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Again I quote from Brother A 's letters to the writer and 

others: "How glad I was to meet the brethren, and have some 
ministerial society. It was like an oasis in the desert. I was 
nearly overcome with joy. After Conference I went back to New 
York, to visit my parents and friends. There I found a girl will- 
ing to become a missionary's wife." (There is a slight touch of 
romance and of heroism about this match. She was Miss Fanny 
A., daughter of Rev. L. C. Rogers, of the Central New York 
Conference. Just seventeen days after their first meeting, they 
were married, and started for the "Pike's Peak" country.) "On 
our return we crossed the Plains at the rate of twenty-eight to 
thirty miles a day, reaching Golden about the 1st of July, and 
began housekeeping in a little cabin 12 x 14, with no floor, one 
door, half a window on each side, slab roof, eaves about five feet 
high, three stools, and a little sheet-iron stove. Kept house three 
months without a chair. 

"When Presiding Elder Chivington came to stop over night, 
he had a much better bed than I had a number of times, the 
year before, in the same place; for I had previously, with a pick 
and sledge-hammer, broken off, pounded down, or dug up some 
of the stones among which I had wriggled myself down so that 
I could rest a little and sleep. Further, I had covered the ground 
with sawdust, then with hay, upon which we had put a carpet 
of gunny-sacks, tacked down with wooden pegs driven into the 
ground. So, with a few blankets, a pair of nice white cotton 
or linen sheets, and a big feather-bed, we made him quite com- 
fortable. But wife had to wait in the morning until he got up 
before breakfast could be started. A wedding party of four came 
to stop over night. We bunked on the ground with a part of 
them, giving the newly-married pair the bedstead with one leg, 
of my own make. 

"When wife and I visited on the circuit, she rode the pony 
and I took it afoot. I carried my revolver and knife in my belt. 
On the whole, we had a good year; some souls converted." 

The General Conference of i860 divided the Kansas and Ne- 
braska Conference. The Rocky Mountain District, lying ad- 
jacent to Kansas, was placed in that Conference. 

September 4, i860, Rev. J. M. Chivington, presiding elder, 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



237 



held the first quarterly-meeting services in Boulder, Brother 
Adriance having held the Quarterly Conference the previous day, 
as the elder was not present. 

The Kansas Conference of 1861 convened in Atchison, Kansas 
Territory, March 21st. The Colorado work was recognized, as 
had been done the year previous. Once more I quote from 

Brother A : "In 1861 I did not go to Conference. I was 

appointed to Central City, Russel Gulch, and other points. We 
lived in Eureka Gulch. I traveled this work on foot, as it was 
too expensive to keep a pony, with corn at twelve cents per 
pound and hay at six cents. When potatoes and squashes came 
down to four and five cents per pound, we thought we could afford 
the luxury. Here wife had to foot it, as I did, when she went 
with me. Sometimes she would walk as much as six miles in 
half a day over the mountains. It was on this charge that the 
first* church in Colorado was built, of hewed logs, shingle roof, 
puncheon seats, in the fall of i860, and was a Methodist Episcopal 
church. It stood on the divide between Eureka and Nevada 
Gulches, about half a mile from Central City. It was burned 
in the winter of 1861. The key happened to be at my house, 
and I have it now. The original was lost, and this one was made 
by Father Rowen, a blacksmith, a good man, a local preacher. 
We had a hard year. Some good done. Not feeling myself 
adapted to that rough-and-tumble work, I determined to locate. 
We came down out of the mountains in February, 1862, by 
wagon, and were eighteen days getting to Fremont, Nebraska. 
In the Nebraska Conference I worked hard for sixteen years. 
Much exposure had broken my health; though laid on the shelf, 
hearing gone, but, thank the good Lord, enjoying the blessed- 
ness of our holy Christianity. If it was not wrong, I would like 
to be young again, and go out on the frontier and lay founda- 
tions. I do love to see the structures rise. My daily prayer used 
to be when in Colorado: 'O that God will bless the planting of 
his Church here!' To God belongs the praise. Yours for the 
prosperity of Zion, Jacob Adriance." 

* Brother Adriance had not heard of the church-building- begun in Hamilton, 
nor of the one erected in California Gulch, and occupied in October for a quar- 
terly-meeting. The church at Central City was not finished until December 25, 
i860, when it was dedicated. (See next chapter.) 



238 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Kansas Conference of 1862 met in Wyandotte (now West 
Kansas City), Kansas, March 12th. The interests of the Rocky 
Mountain country were carefully looked after and provided for. 
The same was true of the session in 1863, which met in Lawrence, 
March nth. Bishop Ames presided. 

I now give the appointments, taken from the "Kansas and 
Nebraska" and from the "Kansas Conference Minutes," for the 
years indicated. The names of the supplies are from the Denver 
News of the same dates: 

1860. — ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT— John M. Chivington, P. E. 

Denver and Auraria Supplied by A. P. Allen. 

Golden City and Boulder Jacob Adriance. 

Mountain City Supplied by Joseph T. Canon. 

Clear Creek, Blue River, and Colorado City. . .All to be supplied. 

1861. — ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT— John M. Chivington, P. E. 

Denver City W. A. Kenney. 

Golden City and Boulder J. W. Caughlin. 

Central City J. Adriance. 

Colorado City W. S. Lloyd. 

Tarryall William Howbert. 

Gold Dirt, Mountain City, Nevada and Eureka, Missouri City, 

South Clear Creek, Platte River and Plumb Creek, Canon 
City, Blue River, and San Juan City To be supplied. 

1862. — ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT— B. C. Dennis, P. E. 

Denver W. A. Kenney. 

Golden City and Boulder Charles King. 

Canon and Colorado Cities William Howbert. 

South Park W. S. Lloyd. 

Central City, California Gulch, South Clear Creek, and Blue 

River To be supplied. 

1863. — ROCKY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT— B. C. Dennis, P. E. 

Denver City O. A. Willard. 

Golden City D. M. Petifish. 

Central City W. H. Fisher. 

South Park John L. Dyer. 

Black Hawk Charles King. 

Pueblo William Howbert. 

Boulder, South Clear Creek, Blue River, California Gulch, and 

Colorado City .To be supplied. 



METHODIST BEGINNINGS. 



239 



Statistics. — The stewards' report shows that the salaries 
were very meager, running all the way from $37.50 up to $350, 
received from the charges. There was reported from "Pike's 
Peak" in i860, 27 members, 35 probationers, and 1 local 
preacher; in 1861, 384 members, 43 probationers, and 17 local 
preachers; three churches, valued at $1,800. The benevolences 
were: $7.50 for missions; $1 for Church Extension, $1 for Tracts, 
and $1.50 for Sunday-school Union. There were seven Sunday- 
schools, with 59 officers and teachers, 212 scholars of all ages, 
and 610 books in their libraries. 

In 1862, they reported 131 members, 32 probationers, and 14 
local preachers, and one church-building worth $200. They had 
raised $19 for missions. The six Sunday-schools had 42 officers 
and teachers, 233 scholars of all ages, and 830 volumes in li- 
braries. 

There was no financial report in the Kansas Conference Min- 
utes for the Rocky Mountain work in 1863. Four months later, 
the Rocky Mountain Conference was organized. 




III. 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 

Som£ years ago, Rev. John M. Chivington furnished sketches 
of the early times in Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Christian 
Advocate, from which I make the following selections: 

"On May 8, i860, I arrived at Denver, published an appoint- 
ment, and preached the following Sunday in the Masonic Hall, 
and also on the next Sunday, morning and evening. During 
the next week I succeeded in securing the services of Rev. A. P. 
Allen, a supernumerary of the Wisconsin Conference of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, as a supply for Denver. Mr. Allen 
was an able preacher, and filled the pulpit with great accepta- 
bility; but as he was engaged in secular pursuits, he did but little 
Church-work, except to preach, and consequently his success 
was not what it otherwise might have been. Adriance and Canon 
were at their posts in due time, and heartily engaged in the work. 
At California Gulch I found H. H. Johnson, a local preacher 
from Kansas, who had been preaching there, and seemed to be 
greatly in favor with the people. I employed him as a supply, 
organized a society, held Quarterly Conference, and set matters 
to work in good shape. As a result, when I visited them on my 
next round, they had a round-log church up, and while I was 
there we occupied it to hold quarterly-meeting in. This was 
the first place of worship, erected for that specific purpose, which 
we had in the country. When cold weather set in, which was 
early, Johnson and most of the people left the Gulch for different 
places in the valley and the States. I returned to Denver, via 
Colorado City, spent the Sabbath there, and had services Satur- 
day night and Sunday morning and night. After preaching at 
night I baptized by immersion, in Fountain-Qui-Bouille, a Mr. 
Meek, a Seventh-day Baptist, a man of correct life, very consci- 
entious, and who proved himself every way worthy as a Christian 
man. The preachers were alert, diligent, devoted, and the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church was in a forward state of organization 

240 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 



241 



at all points where we had been able to occupy the field, and our 
Church afforded the only religious services they had except for 
a very short time. In June and July, i860, Rev. William Brad- 
ford, of the Kansas Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, preached and set up the banner of his Church; but he 
soon became discouraged, and quit the field. 

"The first quarterly-meeting held at Mountain City was one 
of the most extraordinary ever held in this, or any other country. 
There were present thousands upon thousands of people from 
every State and Territory in the Union, and from almost every 
country of Europe, declaring the wonderful works of God. 
Nearly a thousand communed at the Lord's Supper. Speaking 
of this meeting recently, an old saint of God said: 'It was the 
most remarkable meeting I have witnessed in seventy years.' 
Mr. Canon labored faithfully and successfully until about the 
middle of September, and then suddenly, without notice to the 
presiding elder, he and family left for his former home in Ne- 
braska. Rev. Mr. Watson, a local preacher from Iowa, and 
brother of Dr. J. V. Watson, editor of the Northwestern Christian 
Advocate, was then employed as a supply on Mountain City 
charge. He served a short time, when he also left for his home 
'in the States,' and Charlie Johnson, a local preacher from Illi- 
nois, was employed to finish out the Conference year, which he 
did with eminent success. The brethren erected a good hewed- 
log church on the ridge between Nevada and Eureka Gulches, 
and it was opened with appropriate services December 25, i860. 
Rev. John Cree, John W. Stanton, John Reed, J. C. Anderson, 
D. S. Green, and others, were prominent in the construction and 
furnishing of this place of worship. In July and August I vis- 
ited and held services in Hamilton, Fairplay, and Buckskin Joe 
in South Park, and on French and Georgia Gulches, over the 
Range, on the headwaters of the Blue River; also on California 
and McNulty's Gulches, on the Arkansas River. 

"Tate in the fall Father Machebeuf, of the Roman Catholic 
Church, came to Denver, and at once began and, until very re- 
cently, carried on and forwarded the operations of his Church. 

"In March, 1861, I left by overland coach for Conference at 
Atchison, Kansas. The latter part of this Conference year was one 



242 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of great unrest in the Territory, within the bounds of the Rocky 
Mountain District; grave threats of secession and fiery speeches 
in both Houses of Congress were the order of the times, and the 
inhabitants of this region were very much divided in their opin- 
ions and sympathies on the National issue; each was a stranger 
to almost every other person in the Territory, and each looked 
upon the other with a shade of suspicion. Still, to the credit 
of all the people be it said, at all times and places our minis- 
ters were treated with the greatest respect and consideration. 

"On my way home from Conference in 1861 I was thrown 
from the step of the coach, and run over by the hind wheel, and 
w T as so badly crippled that, for a time, I had to go on two 
crutches. The first Sabbath at home I preached in our place of 
worship, and having 'just arrived from the States,' there was a 
very large attendance. During the sermon, and by way of illus- 
tration, I spoke of the National troubles, and quoted the words 
of Stephen A. Douglas: 'Henceforth, until the National author- 
ity is restored, let there be but two parties — patriots and traitors.' 
This utterance caused a very decided sensation in the audience, 
and resulted in a visit by a committee of gentlemen, who earnestly 
protested against having their secession friends characterized as 
'traitors,' 'rebels,' etc. 

"A few weeks after my return from Conference I was called 
on to preach the funeral of one of Captain (afterwards Colonel) 
Slaugh's recruits, who had been shot dead by a saloon-keeper, 
because he wanted more drinks than he had money to pay for. 
During that sermon I told the excited multitude that I was God's 
free man, and did not intend to speak any doubtful words on the 
great question at issue; nor yet to hold my peace. That I was 
a man of lawful age and full size (six feet four and a half inches, 
and well-proportioned), and an American citizen before I became 
a minister, and that if the Church had required me to renounce 
any of my rights of manhood or American citizenship before I 
could become her minister, I should have very respectfully de- 
clined. 

"My readers will see that our position as a Church in this 
region was pretty clearly defined, and I am glad to say that, so 
far as I learned, there was but one man and one woman, his wife, 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. _ 243 

who took umbrage at the position taken. He was not in full 
accord with us, as well, on the temperance question. And we 
were then, and would be now, and will be in all future time, 
better off without any who are tipplers in the Church. No pre- 
text, in my judgment, is sufficient to justify the use of intoxicants 
by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; better, far better, 
die by the hand of a just God than be cured by the devil. Excuse 
this digression. Early in the Conference year I accepted a com- 
mission as major of the ist Colorado Infantry Volunteers, from 
the far-seeing though eccentric Governor Gilpin. It was the 
busiest year of my life. I held quarterly-meetings on Saturdays 
and Sundays, and then made recruiting speeches and drilled the 
battalion during the other four days and nights of each week. 

"Walter A. Kenney, appointed to Denver, arrived at his post 
of duty in good time, and entered upon his work with zeal and 
energy. He was a young man of far more than average ability 
and good acquirements. He gave entire satisfaction to our peo- 
ple, and was quite a favorite with the public in general. 

"W. S. Lloyd was sent to Colorado City; soon after, I re- 
quested him to take in Canon City, which had forged to the front 
rapidly. He was received with hearty greeting, and did a good 
work; but owing to the poor health and dissatisfaction of his 
wife, who was a good woman, but wholly unfit for the wife of an 
itinerant Methodist minister at the front, he did not long remain 
in the active work here. 

"Rev. Jacob Adriance (born October 22, 1835, i* 1 New York), 
was in due time on hand at Central City, and unfurled the banner 
of the Cross in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Faithfully, dili- 
gently, and untiringly did he pursue the even tenor of his way, 
and care for the work committed to him. 

"Gladly and with willing hearts did he and his noble wife go 
forward on their mission of love, foregoing a thousand and more 
comforts that they might have enjoyed. He was a good singer, 
powerful in prayer, thoroughly Methodistic in all his ways, and 
strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was pre-eminently 
'a man of one work.' The writer of these lines recollects the day 
that this faithful servant of God and the Church came to his 
'hired house' at Omaha, in April, 1857, seeking a place to work 



244 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



for the Master. Have known him ever since, and can not now 
remember an act, or indiscretion that could be censured, except 
this, his leaving Colorado. I have purposely said more about 
Mr. Adriance than others, because he may fairly be said to be the 
founder of Methodism in Colorado. It is true Dr. Goode came 
on the ground at the same time he did; but the Doctor returned 
to Iowa in six weeks, and never saw this work again. Indeed, 
it was not intended, or expected, that he should. He simply came 
on a reconnoitering expedition, and that accomplished, his work 
here ended; while Mr. Adriance remained, formed a mission cir- 
cuit, organized societies, appointed class-leaders, held Quarterly 
Conferences, and started the first Sunday-school ever organized 
in Colorado. He is, indeed, the father of Methodism in Colorado. 

"Rev. William Howbert was promptly on hand at Fairplay, 
and did remarkably well under the circumstances. Besides the 
difficulties and hindrances growing out of the disturbed state of 
the country, the population of the whole Territory was transient. 
I do not now recall any who expected to make this country their 
permanent home. All were on the lookout for fortunes, which 
they hoped to obtain speedily, and then return to their former 
place of residence to enjoy it. Hence, as at Tarryall, Hamilton, 
Breckenridge, and other 'camps' within the bounds of Mr. How- 
bert's charge, at the beginning of the year, matters were lively and 
prosperous; before the year was half gone, some of them were 
almost depopulated, and all of them greatly reduced in the num- 
ber and condition of their inhabitants. It, perhaps, ought to be 
stated here that, during this year, more than twelve hundred men 
enlisted from the Territory in the Union army, and hundreds 
hastened South and joined their fortunes with the Confederacy; 
so that the depletion of our population from these and other 
causes was very great, and the effect on our Church enterprises 
was very damaging throughout the district, especially in Mr. 
Howbert's field of labor and the adjacent camps. 

"This year, 1861, Rev. A. S. Billingsly, a Presbyterian min- 
ister, came out, under the auspices of the Mission Board of his 
Church, to plant a mission in Denver. He was a man of con- 
siderable ability, and a zealous worker for the cause of the Master 
and in the interests of his Church. He left the pastorate of the 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 



245 



Church at Brownsville, Nebraska, to come to this new field. I 
had known him there, and he came out in the coach with me on 
my return from Conference. He took me to task, on the way 
out, for using slang words and phrases, as, 'skedaddle,' 'get up 
and dust,' 'go along and brindle,' and then used one or more of 
these same expressions in the first sermon he preached in the 
place; which shows how true it is that 'evil communications cor- 
rupt good manners!' Mr. Billingsly said he came with ample 
means, and full authority from his Mission Board to establish 
a permanent Church into which might be gathered both the 
Presbyterian and Congregational people, who had ventured out 
here in quest of gold. He only staid a few months, and left in 
disgust for the East, where he dealt out to the people of Colorado 
some left-handed compliments, saying the Territory would be 
entirely depopulated in less than five years. 

"John L. Dyer came to the Territory June 22, 1861, and the 
first time I met him was at Buckskin Joe, July 18, 1861, at a 
quarterly-meeting held near the cabin of Stansel, Bond, and 
Harris. This firm took gold in fabulous amounts from their 
claim. 

"He had been a traveling preacher in Illinois, Wisconsin, and 
Minnesota, but afterwards located and sought recuperated health 
and fortune in Colorado; and we are rejoiced to state here that 
he found both. He found even more, an 'open door' to preach the 
gospel, which is more to him than 'meat and drink.' If I have 
ever known a man anywhere who enjoyed preaching more than 
does Mr. Dyer, I am at a loss to name him, and this is as it 
should be. Paul gloried in it, and why not all his successors? 
Mr. Reid, Mr. Rice, Mr. Lincoln, Colonel Grant, and others are 
honored in being ambassadors of our Government at the courts 
of France, England, Austria, Germany, etc., and how much 
greater the honor of being an ambassador of Christ? Every con- 
ceivable earthly honor pales before this heaven-conferred dis- 
tinction. Mr. Dyer did not wait to rest from his long journey, nor 
to replenish his depleted empty purse, nor to take his bearings, 
that he might find out which way the popular breeze was blowing; 
but at once drew the gospel bow at a venture, and let the arrows 
fly thick and fast. He never so much as said, 'Sinners, if you 



246 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



do not want to get wounded, look a little out,' but drew the 
sword of the Spirit, throwing the scabbard away ; and it has been 
flashing in the sunlight of peak, valley, and plain ever since. As 
I write, I hear him shouting as he goes on his snowshoes: 

" 'See on the mountain-top 

The standard of your God; 
In Jesus' name 't is lifted up, 
All stained with hallowed blood. 

Happy if, with my latest breath, 

I may but gasp his name; 
Preach him to all, and cry in death, 

Behold, behold the Lamb!' 

"Rev. Walter A. Kenney went to the Conference at Wyan- 
dotte, Kansas, in 1862, and was reappointed to the Church in 
Denver; but was taken violently ill, and died before he could re- 
turn to his field of labor. 

"After a time the place was filled by the transfer of Rev. O. A. 
Willard, a brother of Miss Frances E. Willard, of National fame. 
This young man was of very frail physique, but of giant intellect 
and most remarkable gifts. His young wife, the daughter of a 
Methodist minister (Dr. Bannister, of Garrett Biblical Institute), 
was a great help in our Church work in Denver. Mr. Willard 
could preach equal to any young man I ever heard. His wife 
was a gifted pianist and organist, an excellent singer, a fine con- 
versationalist, and could and did pray well. The Church was 
greatly encouraged by this appointment. What will my readers 
say when they read that Mr. Willard paid $40 per week for room 
and board at the hotel, where I found him when I returned from 
the campaign with my regiment through New Mexico? Our 
congregations were now as large as we could find a building to 
hold, and Church prosperity had fairly set in. Dr. John Evans, of 
Chicago, 111., had been appointed governor, vice Gilpin, removed, 
and he, with his estimable family, made a valuable addition to our 
Church forces. So also did S. H. Elbert, just appointed secretary 
of the Territory, vice Weld, removed. Mr. Elbert was not at that 
time a member of any Church ; but being the son of Dr. Elbert, 
of Iowa, one of the staunchest of Churchmen, he naturally leaned 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 



247 



that way, and was a regular attendant at public worship and a 
liberal patron of the Church of his parents. Still, we had no 
settled place of worship, and those who have closely observed 
these things have discovered that, in order to permanent and 
steady growth, a religious society must have a regular place of 
meeting, and a place set apart exclusively for the service of God. 

"I remember going to a prominent mining-camp to preach 
one Thursday night. It seemed as if there was no place to be 
had that was large enough to hold the people who wished to at- 
tend the services, and it was decidedly too cold for an outdoor 
meeting. When about to abandon the thought of service, a gen- 
tlemanly saloon-keeper came and offered his saloon and gam- 
bling-hall for our use, only requiring that we give him back his 
place in ninety minutes. In doing this, he said to me, 'I do not 
expect you to go out of your way to abuse my business; but I 
do not wish you to soften your words nor smooth your tongue 
to spare me or my business.' We went in, occupied his place for 
seventy minutes, and then retired as gracefully as we knew how. 
Six years ago I met a lady here, in Denver, who asked me if I 
remembered that night and service. She said that she 'was awak- 
ened and converted as the result of that meeting held in a saloon.' 

"Charles King, whose name is for the first time mentioned 
in the Minutes of the Conference, was appointed to Golden and 
Boulder, and was the product of Colorado Methodism. During 
the autumn of i860 he was the 'hired man' of Rev. A. P. Allen, on 
his ranch seven miles west of Denver. One Thursday he walked 
in to town, from the ranch, and was to meet Mr. Allen at prayer- 
meeting, and they were to return to the ranch together after 
service. For some cause Mr. Allen did not come; the writer and 
King were all who did attend that evening. After we had waited 
till it was clear that no one else would put in an appearance, I 
said, 'Mr. King, suppose we go to the house, say our prayers, and 
go to bed.' King replied, 'Had we not better pray here, and 
now?' I told him, 'If he would pray I would kneel with him.' 
He replied by kneeling down and engaging in prayer, and pray 
he did! Such a prayer! Such confession of sin, such pleadings 
for forgiveness, such promises of obedience in the future, such 
agonizing for deliverance from sin, and for present salvation 



248 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAEN 



through the blood of the Lamb! In turn, I prayed, and he was 
converted. The following Sunday he came to church, and, as 
it was quarterly-meeting, he spoke in love-feast, telling how he 
had been an unbeliever, how he had been deeply convicted, how 
he had tried to throw off all restraint by telling the elder hard 
things against Brother Allen, how sorry he was that he had 
sinned so grievously, and how happy he was that all had been 
pardoned. This was the first well-defined conversion I witnessed 
in Colorado. It could easily be seen from the night of his conver- 
sion that he was called to preach. He was a young man of good 
ability, natural and acquired. After nearly ten years in the min- 
istry and in teaching, he died in September, 1874, at Little Butte 
on the Fountain, where his body awaits the resurrection morning. 

"Rev. David Petifish organized the first class at Black Hawk, 
in 1862. His wife was a consumptive, and died in Denver that 
fall or winter. The balance of the year was filled out by Charles 
King. 

"Central City was left to be supplied. Presiding Elder Den- 
nis, before he left Kansas, secured Rev. W. H. Fisher, a deacon 
of the second year, and member of the Kansas Conference, for 
this place. Mr. Fisher accompanied Mr. Dennis to Denver, 
bringing his family with him; and, after a full consultation with 
brethren on the ground, he was assigned to the Church at Cen- 
tral. That being at that time the center of population in the Terri- 
tory, was a charge of much importance. It must have been near 
the middle of June when he arrived and began his work. In the 
first sermon Air. Fisher preached at Central, he created a buzz 
about his case by making some unfavorable allusion to the sub- 
ject of salary ; but this blew over after a time, and he became 
quite popular. His labors were very helpful as well as abundant, 
for during this entire year he preached three times each Sabbath, 
as follows: eleven A. M. at Central, two-thirty P. M. at Nevada, 
and seven-thirty P. M. again at Central. He had a very prosper- 
ous Sunday-school at Central, which was under the superintend- 
ence of David S. Green. 

"Brother Howbert, never pretentious, but always faithful, 
diligent, and conscientious, was early on hand at Canon and 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 



249 



Colorado Cities, and all through the year did good service amidst 
great discouragement, growing out of a multiplicity of causes, 
such as a want of sufficient support, long distances between ap- 
pointments, removals, and changed location of the capital of the 
Territory, the shifting or migratory character of the population, 
etc.; still he was fairly successful; a good man, true to God, his 
Church, and his Government. 

"In 1862, W. S. Lloyd was appointed to South Park, but 
did not go to his work at all. He was greatly affected by the 
death of Brother Kenney, and became so much discouraged that 
he severed his connection with the Rocky Mountain District, and 
returned to Kansas, and soon after to Ohio. 

The principal attention given to our Church work in 
South Park, Blue River, and California Gulch this year, 
was by Rev. John L. Dyer, who never missed an oppor- 
tunity to do good, by affording the people religious privi- 
leges. Many men, away from home and home restraints, 
discouraged and more or less reckless, were in those days 
greatly benefited by the services of these servants of God, 
and have had cause for gratitude to God and the Church which 
sent them to minister unto them in their wanderings. A Church 
with less zeal, less complete in its organization, less elastic in its 
operations, and less adapted to such changing circumstances and 
conditions, could not have rendered the needed services. At 
any rate, none essayed to do it in this case. Mr. Dennis, the new 
presiding elder, was a young man, smooth-faced, closely shaven, 
and scrupulously neat in his dress, was ruddy in complexion, 
somewhat diffident, though of good address, slightly deaf, which 
made him appear to disadvantage. He had fair abilities as a 
preacher, was punctual in all his appointments, was deeply pious ; 
but did not appear sufficiently forceful and aggressive for the 
position of a leader in this region at that time. In the early sixties 
no half-way measures or doubtful positions were of avail in 
Colorado. We were respectful enough of each others' opinions 
and feelings; but at the same time every man was expected to 
show his hand. His individuality must be clear and distinct in 
order to command respect." 



250 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Since the above was written, the writer thereof has gone to 
his reward; hence the following memoir: 

John Milton Chivington was born near Lebanon, Warren 
County, Ohio. His mother was of Irish descent, and his father 
Scotch. He was converted in October, 1842; licensed to preach 
at Zoar Church, Goshen Circuit, Ohio Conference, by Michael 
Marley, presiding elder, September, 1844. The same Quarterly 
Conference recommended him to the Annual Conference three 
years later. 

This recommendation was sent, by the proper authority, 
to the Illinois Conference, which met that year in Jacksonville. 
He was received on probation, and appointed to Payson Circuit. 
On the trip from Ohio to Illinois, by the way of the Ohio and 
Mississippi Rivers, he contracted smallpox. This detained him at 
Quincy, Illinois, until after the Conference adjourned. As soon 
as able he went to his work, and had a prosperous year. At the 
next session of the Illinois Conference, he was induced to cross 
over into Missouri, and labor there. This was in the fall of 1848. 
He served the following charges: Lagrange, Hannibal, Shelby- 
ville, St. Joseph, and Fillmore; also the Wyandotte and Delaware 
Indian Mission and Hedding Chapel, St. Louis; then presiding 
elder of St. Joseph District. November, 1856, he was transferred 
to the Kansas and Nebraska Conference, and was stationed at 
Omaha until March, 1857, when he was appointed to the Omaha 
District as presiding elder. The year after, he was sent to the 
Nebraska City District; two years after, i860, to the Rocky 
Mountain District. He traveled this district two years, and 
then left it to enter the army of the United States, as major of the 
1 st Colorado Cavalry. 

He was, for a time, in command of Fort Weld, which stood 
where Elijah Millison's house, front yard, and grounds now are, 
extending east to the "mesa." Here were the barracks and 
parade-grounds, one-half a mile west of the Rio Grande repair- 
shops at Burnham. The Confederate General Sibley was over- 
running New Mexico with his Texas Rangers, at the same time 
endangering the peace of Colorado. 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 25 1 

The Colorado troops were sent to re-enforce General Canby, 
at Fort Union, in New Mexico, Colonel Slaugh in command. 
At Burnell Springs, about twenty miles from Apache Canon, 
they learned that General Sibley was advancing from Santa Fe, 
with about 3,500 men to capture Colorado for the Confederacy. 
March 25, 1862, Major Chivington, with four hundred men, 
was sent from Burnell Springs to Pigeon Ranch on a reconnoi- 
tering expedition. The next day, about two o'clock, they met the 
advance guard, eight hundred in number, of the Texans in the 
Apache Canon, where a skirmish occurred, which lasted until 
dark. 

On the 28th, the major was ordered to the rear of the enemy 
with five hundred men, with two days' rations, over a difficult and 
winding mountain trail. Once they were lost, when a kind- 
hearted Mexican piloted them to the right, but dim path, 
which led in the proper direction. Colonel Slaugh, with the 
balance of his command, engaged the enemy in the front. The 
major and his men reached a high ridge, overlooking the enemy's 
rear camp, about fifteen miles from the main body, just as they 
were sitting down to dinner. Immediately forming his men in 
line, he addressed them in the following language: "Now, boys, 
yonder is the rebel camp, and we are going to take it. I do not 
know how many men are there; but I will lead you, and if I fall 
do not stop to pick me up, but take The camp." 

The hill was so steep and rocky that the major deemed it un- 
safe to ride his horse. This was left tied to a rock. On foot, in 
two columns, down that mountain side they went at "double 
quick" for half a mile, while two cannon were blazing away at 
them. These were quickly captured and spiked. The guards, 
taken by surprise, fired only a few volleys, and then fled, dinner- 
less. His men burned eighty-one wagons, large quantities of 
ammunition, and supplies of all kinds; captured and scattered 
three hundred mules, having accomplished all this without the 
loss of a man. Then they returned by the rough trail to the 
camp they left in the morning. Here they learned of the cele- 
brated Apache Canon fight, known in history as the battle of 
"Glorietta," in which the victory was on the side of the Union. 



252 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



For the account of this trip and skirmish with the rear por- 
tion of Sibley's army, I am indebted to William and James Ly- 
cans, of Platteville, Colorado, who were participants therein. 

General Sibley, learning that his supplies were destroyed, 
fell back to Santa Fe, and from there to the place whence he had 
come. 

At Galisteo, N. M., General Canby promoted Major Chiving- 
ton, for his bravery, to the rank of Colonel, to fill the vacancy 
caused by the resignation of Colonel Slaugh. 

Colonel Chivington subsequently fought the battle of "Sand 
Creek," in which several hundred Indians were killed, and the 
death of one hundred and seventy-four white men, women, and 
children, who had been massacred, was avenged. 

The Indian depredations were effectually stopped. The Gen- 
eral Government, hearing of this, as it was then sometimes called, 
''Indian Massacre," sent Schuyler Colfax and Governor Bross 
to investigate, and report to the proper authorities as to the truth 
of the charges. These gentlemen, after hearing all the evidence 
in the case, exonerated the colonel and all others connected with 
the "Sand Creek" affair. In the fall of 1865 he resigned his com- 
mission, and engaged in the freighting business for the next two 
years. In the spring of 1867, he went East, not to return until 
January 1, 1883. 

At Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873, he married, for his second wife, 
Mrs. Isabel Arnzen, a soldier's widow, who shared his fortunes 
for twenty years, and tenderly cared for him during his last 
illness. 

Having been thrown out of the Conference because he entered 
the army, the whole trend of his life was changed. He often 
wondered what it would have been had this not occurred. The 
colonel committed not a few mistakes. He was a man with clear 
convictions and an iron will, that quailed not in the face of any 
danger; but he had a noble heart, and was generous to a fault. 
He never lost interest in the Church of his early choice. After 
the session of one of our Conferences, he sent for the writer to 
come and relate to him its doings. He was only able to sit in 
a rocker on the porch. During the conversation something was 
said that touched his heart, when he shouted "Glory to God!" 



FOUNDATION BUILDERS. 



253 



several times, and the tears coursed freely down his cheeks. This 
penman visited him often while sick, and conversed with him 
freely. Two hours before the very last he asked: "Colonel, how 
is it? Is Jesus precious to you?" With a smile, he answered: 
"His presence dwells within. It 's all around me. It fills the 
room." He stated almost the same to his companion only a 
moment before he ceased to breathe. 

The colonel unquestionably got right with God ere he went 
hence, as all nearest him verily believe. He fell asleep about three 
o'clock in the afternoon, October 4, 1894. After religious services 
at Trinity Church, his body was laid away to rest on Sunday, 
October 7th, in the Fairmount Cemetery, by the Grand Lodge 
of the A. F. & A. M. of Colorado. 

Thd people of Colorado will never know how much they owe 
to these faithful pioneer preachers, who, braving the dangers of 
Indian massacres, floods and privations of various kinds, pro- 
claimed the glorious gospel of the Son of God all over this Rocky 
Mountain region; often without fee or reward; frequently where 
they were not wanted; always to the farthest pioneer settlement 
or mining-camp. As they declared a free and a full salvation, 
many hearts were caused, under God's benedictions, "to rejoice 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 



IV. 



r 3 ICIvKT=LIXK EXTENDED. 

Rev. William Howbert, of the Iowa Conference, accom- 
panied by his son Irving, now a resident of Colorado Springs, 
reached Denver City, June 14, i860. Three days after, they heard 
Presiding Elder Chivington preach in a hall over "The City 
Drugstore." 

Early on Monday morning, June 18th, Brother H left 

for the "South Park Mission," to which the presiding elder had 
sent him, reaching Hamilton on the 25th instant. Here, near 
the northeastern upper end of the Park, a town with about one 
hundred log houses, with dirt roofs, had been built. It stood a 
short distance above where Como now stands. This region was 
then an unexplored field religiously. 

On Friday, the 29th, he visited "Tarryall Diggings," preach- 
ing there on Sunday morning of July 1st, and in Hamilton at 
night. At the latter place he organized a class of twenty-one 
members. These were the first religious services ever held in 
South Park. 

July 3d, plans were inaugurated to build a church in Hamilton. 
Lots were selected on the 4th, and two hundred dollars subscribed 
towards the erection of the building. 

Of his farther explorations, which began on Friday, July 6th, 
he says in his diary: "With a shirt in one pocket, a Testament 
and hymn-book in another, bread and beef in a third, I started 
out on foot for Blue River, crossing the Snowy Range at what is 
now called "Boreas Pass," about one o'clock, arriving at Breck- 
enridge at night, stopping with Brother Oldham. On Saturday I 
found some Methodists. I left an appointment to preach on 
Sunday at four P. M., then went to Gold Run, where I put up 
with Brother Onis for the night. Sunday morning I preached at 
Blue River, organizing a class of six members, and at Brecken- 
ridge in the afternoon, forming a class of seven. The Lord was 
with us to bless." 

254 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



255 



This was the beginning of Methodism on the Pacific Slope 
in Colorado. The next day he returned to Hamilton. Here the 
trustees decided to build a log church, 30 x 40, and let the contract 
for $450. This was the first attempt at church erection in all the 
Rocky Mountain region. (See Chapters II and III for further 
account of first efforts in this direction.) 

To William Howbert belongs the honor of preaching the first 
gospel sermons in each one of the above-mentionel localities, so 
far as is now known. 

July 15th, the Rev. H. H. Johnson, a local deacon, appeared 
on the scene, claiming to have been sent by the presiding elder 
as an assistant. He preached in the morning at Hamilton, and 
Howbert in the evening, when six more members joined the 
Church. Howbert's circuit embraced the whole of Southern and 
Southwestern Colorado, or, rather, wherever men could be found 
in all the region named. 

His next trip was in company with Revs. Johnson and Mann, 
another local preacher from Iowa. They started for the "Upper 
Arkansas Diggings," and camped, on the 18th, about three miles 
southeast of the present site of Leadville. There was at that 
time a large crowd of men in the "California Diggings." Brother 
Johnson preached to a large and orderly congregation in a 
saloon, and organized a class of twenty members. That summer, 
in this Gulch, the first church-building in Colorado was erected. 
It was built of logs, had a dirt floor, clapboard shingles, and seated 
two hundred persons. It stood one and one-half miles below the 
present site of Oro City, and one-half mile east of the south end 
of Harrison Avenue in Leadville. It has long since ceased to 
exist, its site having been washed away by water. 

On the 23d they started for Denver. Here Major Bradford 
promised them glass for the church at Hamilton; but this was 
never called for. 

At Denver Brother Howbert purchased a mule, saddle, and 
bridle, and started for Colorado City. As he rode into that town 
Sunday morning, July 29th, at ten A. M., he found the people 
excited over a Mexican horse-thief, whom they had just sen- 
tenced to be hanged, and were then on their way to execute. He 
advised the people to postpone the execution until after preach- 
17 



256 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ing; but his counsel was not heeded. After the Mexican was 
disposed of, the people returned, and listened most respectfully 
to the sermon. When he arrived at Hamilton, on the following 
Thursday, he found the log church about two-thirds completed. 
The building was never finished, owing to the abandonment 01 
the town because of a later mining excitement. 

August 5th, Brother H preached at Fairplay at ten A. M., 

and a funeral sermon at "Buckskin Joe" in the afternoon. These 
were the first services held at either of these places. The latter 
was named after a man by the name of Joseph Grover, who wore 
a buckskin suit when in that locality. He was from and returned 
to Vermillion, Erie County, Ohio, where the writer knew him 
in after years. 

On the nth and 12th of August, Presiding Elder Chivinr 7 
ton held a quarterly-meeting on Blue River. This was his first 
visit to this region, and was the first meeting of the kind held 
beyond the range. 

On Brother H 's next visit to California Gulch, circum- 
stances compelled him to camp and sleep on the rocks. Septem- 
ber 30, i860, he performed, possibly, the first Methodist marriage 
ceremony in what is now Colorado, uniting Oliver Richpatrick 
and Sarah Hammel in the bonds of holy matrimony. 

His next trip was to Fairplay, where he left a Sunday-school 
library, obtained in Denver. 

In the spring of 1861, Brother H was sent to "Tarryall," 

which included the South Park and the Upper Arkansas River 
Valley. Much work had to be done, with small pay. Like the 
great apostle, he "counted not his life dear unto him so he might 
save some." 

In the spring of 1862 he was sent to the Arkansas River 
Valley and its tributaries, outside of the mountains. This meant 
Canon City, Colorado City, and a point twenty miles east of 
Pueblo. No small circuit for a man to travel on mule-back in 
those times! He was a man of God, and preached with power. 
The people were poor, and the settlements widely separated; but 
they heard him gladly, while their "hearts burned within them 
as he talked to them by the way." He continued a few months 
on this work, became discouraged, and retired to private life. 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



257 



His health was poor at the very best. He has long since ceased 
from earthly labors. 

W. R. FowlER was converted in 1858, and joined the Presby- 
terian Church in Chicago soon afterward. He and family were 
forty days en route to Denver from the Missouri River, with an 
ox-team. He had family worship, morning and evening, all the 
way across the Plains. With his family around him, seated on the 
bare ground, he would sing a hymn, read from the Scriptures, 
and lead in prayer. What an object-lesson of true piety for the 
onlookers, camped near! Indians often came into their camp; 
but were docile. 

They remained ten days in Denver, attended the Methodist 
Episcopal Sunday-school, and heard a good sermon from A. P. 
Allen, who was then the pastor. The rougher element seemed to 
rule the town. Canon City, which stands on the north bank of 
the Arkansas River, at the base of the mountains and the natural 
gateway thereto, was just coming into notice. It seemed to offer 
more inducements than any other point, so he decided to make 
that his home. He reached there August 10, i860, a stranger in a 
strange land. 

He found a few hundred men busy laying the foundations of a 
city, and working with pistols and long knives attached to their 
belts, knowing no law or order, except such as each chose to 
observe. All was confusion. Every man was a law unto him- 
self. The Rocky Mountain region at that time was not even 
organized into a Territory. Each one hoped to improve his 
financial condition, then return to "God's country" in the East, 
as it was then called. Few then, or for years afterward, expected 
to make Colorado a permanent home. 

The great majority left their religion, if they ever had any, 
on the other side of the Missouri River. When Brother Fowler 
reached Canon City, he found no ministers, no churches, no 
Bibles, no Sunday-schools, no religious books, or periodicals. 
Not one, however, had forgotten guns, pistols, or bowie-knives. 

Before leaving the East he had supplied himself with tracts, 
hymn-books, Sunday-school books, printed sermons, and a few 
Bibles. On Sunday morning, August 12, i860, he distributed 



258 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

tracts at every camp, tent, and cabin, and invited each occupant 
to a religious service, to be held in an unfinished iog" building, 
at eleven o'clock A. M., when a sermon would be read; and, 
strange to say, a good-sized audience listened attentively. Serv- 
ices of this character were continued for some time. September 
2d, a Sunday-school was organized by Brother Fowler. A Mrs. 
McPherson, with her daughter Belle and son Henry, came, offer- 
ing her services as teacher. 

In October of that year, Brother F was elected magistrate 

at a mass-meeting of the citizens, which position he filled, without 
pay, for about six months. Late in the fall, many miners came 
down to that place from the high altitudes to a more congenial 
clime, among whom was a local preacher, H. H. Johnson, who 
arrived in November, i860. 

The population of Canon City at that time was about fifteen 
hundred. H. H. Johnson preached to them during the winter, 
organized a class of seven members, and appointed W. R. Fowler 
class-leader. Presiding Elder Chivington held one quarterly- 
meeting service during that winter. 

In the spring of 1861 there was a general exodus for the gold- 
fields and for the war. Canon City was practically depopulated. 
The minister left for Kansas, and most of the membership for the 
mountains. 

Brother F moved to Pueblo, to engage in farming. There 

he found an abandoned set of Mexicans and renegade whites, 
and attempted to establish religious services with them, as he had 
done at Canon; but without success. Not wishing to cast pearls 
before swine, the matter was given up. 

Rev. W. S. Lloyd, with his wife, came into the Arkansas 
Valley during the summer of 1861, and preached a few times at 
Canon and Pueblo; but met with very little encouragement. 

Late in the fall of 1863, Presiding Elder Slaughter preached 
one sermon in Canon City, to a congregation of only four per- 
sons; namely, Lieutenant-Governor Rudd, wife, baby, and an 
insane woman. These persons comprised the whole population 
of the place at that time. 

In the fall of 1862, Brother F moved to Montgomery, in 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



259 



the South Park, a rapidly-growing mining town. Here he found 
a small society of Methodists, and at once became their leader, 
with B. C. Dennis as presiding elder, and William Antes, a good 
and true man, as pastor. 

Next came John L. Dyer, who never knew discouragement, 
failure, or defeat, preaching everywhere, whether audiences were 
large or small. Prayer and class meetings and Sunday-schools 
were held regularly at Montgomery. The best substitute that 
could be found for a bell was a tin horn, which was drafted into 
immediate service, and its notes echoed from mountain to moun- 
tain, calling the people to worship. Here was gathered a noble 
little band of Christian workers, with four of whom this penman 
became intimately acquainted in 1869-70, — Peter J. Smith, a local 
preacher of Georgetown; Brother and Sister Girten, of Colorado 
City; and W. R. Fowler, of Canon City, consituting that com- 
pany. 

The people were from different localities, as there was no 
written law, each followed his own inclinations. Stores, saloons, 
and bowling-alleys were in full blast on the Sabbath-day. No 
services, no matter how sacred, could gain their attention. The 
miners leaving, the town was deserted. In November, 1864, 

Brother F returned to Canon City to reside. He found that 

a colony of Baptists, from Iowa, had located here during his 
absence, with Rev. B. M. Adams as their pastor. 

Rev. John Gilliland, a local deacon, preached there a few 
months, and a few years later retired to farm life in Texas. 

By the above account, which has been abbreviated from W. R. 
Fowler's sketch, we see that Canon City, from i860 to 1866, 
had an occasional preaching service, besides the sermons read 

and prayer-meetings held by Brother F , who was appointed 

leader January 17, 1866, when the society was regularly and per- 
manently organized by George Murray, preacher in charge. Its 
membership consisted of Charlotte J. Fowler, Elizabeth Frazier, 
T. M. Richardson, and thirteen others, besides eight probationers. 
Presiding Elder Dyer held the second quarterly-meeting in the 
county, five miles below the town. 

The first camp-meeting in Colorado was held this year under 



26o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



a large cottonwood-tree at Pueblo. There were no conver- 
sions. 

June 27, 1867, the pastor, Brother Murray, moved to Canon 
City, where he was met by Presiding Elder Dyer and Bishop 
Ames, who decided that Canon must have a church-building. 
Steps were taken to buy a substantial stone building, 70 x 22 feet, 
one story high, with a frame attached in the rear, which was used 
for a parsonage. This property was purchased, repaired, sup- 
plied with seats, desk, and altar. Bishop Ames gave $500 to the 
enterprise. This building was dedicated by George Murray, the 
pastor, March 8, 1868. 

This was Canon's first church, and the first dedication of a 
place of worship south of Denver. The following April a log 
church, costing $200, paid for by the Canon City society, was 
dedicated in the Frazier neighborhood, near where Florence now 
stands. 

June, 1868, W. M. Smith was appointed presiding elder and 
pastor at Canon City; but, owing to Indian troubles, did not deem 
it safe to move his family there. He engaged William Shepherd, 
a local preacher and a blacksmith, to fill the pulpit. The following 
year Brother Smith became the pastor, and moved to Canon. 
From November 10, 1870, to February, 1871, R. A. Hoffman 
served the charge; from April 19th until Conference, N. S. Buck- 
ner; E. C. Brooks, 1871-2; J. H. Merritt, 1873-5; H - C. King, 
1876; John E. Rickards, 1877, served them until January, 1879, 
when E. L. Allen was transferred from New Jersey, March 18, 
1879, to fill the vacancy; E. C. Dodge, 1879-81. In 1878 the stone 
building was sold, and a neat brick church erected on another site, 
which was dedicated by Chaplain C. C. McCabe, assisted by J. H. 
Merritt, August 7, 1879. The parsonage was built in 1880. The 
later pastors have been: N. A. Chamberlain, in 1882; E. J. Hall, 
1883-5; C. W. Brewer, 1886; A. A. Kidder, 1887; C. H. Koyl, 
1888-90; J. F. Harris, 1891-2, when he was transferred to the 
Southern California Conference. Returned to Canon in 1894-5. 

N. H. Lee filled out the year of 1892 after Brother H left. 

M. D. Hornbeck, 1893-5; R. A. Chase, 1896. 

The Sunday-school greatly prospered for ten years under the 
superintendency of E. T. Ailing. 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



26l 



OF the introduction of Methodism into the San Luis Valley 
(Father Dyer had preached there, once or twice, previous to this), 
Dr. Crary, presiding elder, afterward wrote: 

"The journey was made in the month of May, 1873. John E. 
Rickards was a young local preacher. He accompanied us from 
Pueblo. We had no way to go, but to drive a team of our own. 
The road was almost directly up the Arkansas River to Canon 
City, just below the Royal Gorge or Grand Canon of the Arkan- 
sas, one of the most wonderful scenes in the world. The Denver 
& Rio Grande Railroad now runs through this canon, and is a 
surprising feat of engineering. We generally stopped with that 
most excellent, intelligent, devoted, hospitable gentleman, W. R. 
Fowler, near Canon City. There we always had a Christian wel- 
come and royal cheer. It was twelve miles by the road from 
Canon City to the bridge over the Arkansas above the Royal 
Gorge. We had to drive over a mountain to that point. With 
good company, it was a romantic and delightful journey. We 
camped near the bridge, lunched, and then drove up the road 
toward Wet Mountain Valley, through Webster Canon. 

"It was rather late in the afternoon when we started, and, fear- 
ing that we might have to camp where water could not be found, 
we took as much water from the Arkansas River as we could 
conveniently carry in our coffee-pot, bucket, etc. The road was 
good for a mountain pass, and we were enraptured by the mag- 
nificent scenery, and so went along slowly. We came to a clean, 
sandy plot of ground, and camped on it, though it had been the 
bed of a torrent at some time. Had a cloud burst at the top of 
the canon, we should have been swept through the Royal Gorge. 
As it was, we unhitched and picketed our ponies, built a good 
fire, and prepared supper, and were sitting by the fire chatting, 
when a strange man came through the darkness and shadows to 
our fire. We were startled; but found that the man was camped 
near us, and came simply to inquire about getting water, and 
about the road. Rickards undertook to make a bed in the wagon, 
and it was a pretty good model of a section of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. The fact is, we always preferred to make our bed on the 
ground; sometimes, when stormy, under the wagon. The earth 
is a good, warm place to sleep on. In the morning we used up 



262 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



every particle of water in making our coffee and attending to our 
elaborate toilet, and we had not a drop to wash our tin plates 
with. Luckily, some recollections of similar exigencies came to 
mind; we washed all of our dishes, knives, forks, and spoons in 
the clean sand. That was a success. We were well up in the culi- 
nary art, and could cook an excellent meal in a frying-pan and a 
coffee-pot. We usually camped near a stream of water, where 
we had plenty of wood, and then it was delightful. The scent 
of pines, the pure mountain air, and the exercise made us strong 
and hungry. 

"Rickards and the writer went over into San Luis Valley, and 
had various experiences going down to the Rio Grande River and 
Del Norte. It had been raining in that region, and the streams 
and sloughs were full. One day we came to a cross-road and 
saw a peeled cottonwood pole stuck in the ground, and some- 
thing written on it. Rickards got out and went to the pole, and 
burst out into convulsive laughter. The sign on the pole read: 
'No bottom! Keep to the right! To the left goes to hell, sure 
pop!' We kept to the right! 

"The mirage in the San Luis Valley excelled anything that 
we had ever seen of the kind. We approached what seemed to 
be a lake, with small islands here and there, with trees upon them, 
birds flying over, and with cattle wading in the water's edge. 
The lake, trees, birds, and cattle receded as we drove nearer. 
Then sometimes cattle would seem to be lifted in the air, and 
loom up amid the mists like ghosts of ancient and monstrous 
buffaloes. This and the magnificent and ever-varying scenery 
kept up the interest all the day. 

"We got to the Rio Grande River Saturday evening, and 
found the top of the bridge washed away, only the stringers left, 
upon which men could walk across; but it was impossible to take 
teams over. Del Norte was on the other side of the river. It 
was late, and something had to be done quickly. Driving up 
the river a short distance we came to a cabin, and found two men 
there. We stated our case, and invited ourselves to stop. We 
did not know the men; but hoped to be able, at least, to camp 
with them. 

"They were not ideal Christian citizens ; but the welcome they 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 263 

gave us, their kindness and even reverence, made an impression 
on us we can never forget. Their hospitality and deference were 
embarrassing. They took care of our ponies, got the best supper 
they could, then invited us to eat, and did not seem willing to sit 
at the table with us. We had to beg them to sit down and eat 
with us. We asked a blessing upon the meal, and had prayers 
before going to bed. We had plenty of blankets with us, and had 
a good night's rest. 

"These men went over to Del Norte with us, and assisted in 
drumming up a congregation, and staid to meeting themselves, 
to the surprise of the town. We preached in the 'Court House,' 
which had just been put up, and had no floor but the earth. 
Seats were improvised, and we had a good congregation of men 
and one Mexican woman. That was the first Protestant service 
ever held there. The people were very kind. The question of 
trying to organize a Methodist society was discussed, and some 
of the gentlemen favored it. All wanted a preacher and a church 
'to help the town.' We staid Sunday night with our two friends 
across the river, and were entertained just as well as the poor 
fellows were able to do it. We fear the Sabbath service was not 
the kind they had been used to; but felt grateful to them and to 
God, who opened their hearts to us. They were afterwards de- 
voted friends to Rickards, and would have fought to protect him. 

"Monday morning we had to part. Rickards was to stay, 
and try to build a church. It was necessary for me to return by 
way of Fort Garland, which was the first stopping-place, sixty- 
five miles away. Bidding our kind hosts good-bye, and taking 
Rickards out a little way, we found it hard to part. Just think 
of it! A young and inexperienced local preacher was to be put 
down in a new frontier town without a cent of missionary money, 
without a member of the Church to help him, without a place to 
lay his head. He rode with us a mile or more, and then we 
prayed together there in the wagon; he walked back to the cabin 
we had left, and we pushed ahead. That was a lonesome day 
crossing the San Luis Valley alone, and hurrying to get some- 
where by night. Getting confused by cross-roads, we drove out 
of the way four or five miles; but finally reached a small stream 
on which was living a man named Tobin, who sometimes enter- 



264 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



tained people. We tried to reach his house; but night came on 
so quickly that we could not see the way to get across the creek, 
and finally came to a cabin where some Mexicans lived. We 
inquired the way to Mr. Tobin's; but not being able to under- 
stand what was said, drove on, determined to camp as soon as 
we could find a suitable place. We soon came to a grassy open- 
ing, stopped, picketed the ponies, ate supper, and went to bed, 
and slept soundly until morning, and then got up and found that 
Mr. Tobin's house was across the creek about a hundred 
yards off. 

"Disgusted at a situation so ridiculous, we never made a 
motion toward the house; but started for Fort Garland as soon 
as possible. The first soldier we met greeted us cordially, sup- 
posing that we ran a blacksmith shop at some frontier place he 
had visited. Flattered by that recognition, we soon managed to 
get inside of the fort to the meat-shop. The man in charge 
offered us a rump steak, and we then said: 'See here, my friend, 
that is pretty hard fare for an old chaplain in the army.' 'Well/ 
said he, 'I have better steak; but I was ordered to keep it for the 
officers.' 'That is all right,' we said; 'but we are an officer.' He 
laughed, and gave us a rich, fine porterhouse-steak. We went 
on our way rejoicing, and drove up the Sangre de Christo Pass, 
amid enchanting scenery. 

"We had learned that there was a first-rate country hotel 
near 'the top of the Pass, but grew tired and hungry. Toward 
noon stopped, cooked the steak, and had a good dinner; but 
after starting we found that we had lunched but a short distance 
from the house that had been commended to us. Driving on over 
the range and down the Veta Pass, toward night we met a man 
riding rapidly, and stopped him to inquire about the road. He 
said that he w r as hunting some cattle, and that he lived about two 
miles below. He had come up into the mountains for his cows. 
He invited us to stop at his house, which we did, and had a 
pleasant time. The family were Baptists. They lived in a log 
cabin, which had the earth for a floor. The kind lady apologized 
for the scarcity of bedding; but when she found we had enough 
seemed quite happy. She was a devoted Christian woman, and 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 265 

seemed to feel that it was an honor to receive a visit from a min- 
ister in that wild country. 

"We had splendid entertainment, and prayed night and morn- 
ing with our friends, and offered to pay them; but they would 
not hear to that, and were profuse in apologies, which were un- 
necessary, and thanks which went to our heart. We prayed and 
cried every time we thought of Rickards; but he went to work 
bravely, organized a Church with five members, of whom he 
wrote: 'One is in San Juan, another gone to Denver, two are 
here, and I do n't know where the other is.' He made it go, how- 
ever, and gained friends. He organized a society at Saguache, 
thirty-five miles up the valley, and walked regularly to his ap- 
pointment until he overcame prejudices and gained the confi- 
dence of the people, when they loaned him a horse, believing that 
he would not run away with it. He 'bached it,' cooking his meals 
in an open fireplace, had a candle-box for a chair, and his trunk 
for a table. His cabin had a dirt floor and a dirt roof, and in 
hard rains the roof would become soaked through, and the water 
would run down on his bed. 

"In our trips here and there we camped out whenever night 
overtook us. We often stopped, going over to San Luis Valley 
with a Mr. McPherson, at the foot of the Poncha Pass, on the 
South Arkansas. Mrs. McPherson was a member of the Presby- 
terian Church, an excellent Christian lady, and first-rate house- 
keeper. She was always kind and hospitable. McPherson was 
inclined to be an infidel, and loved to get into a debate. The first 
time we staid at his house he began to ask questions which he 
supposed to be hard. We were sitting by a table on which was a 
Family Bible, and said quietly, after answering his first question : 
'We suppose that you are all tired ; perhaps we better have prayers 
and go to bed.' So, taking the Bible, we read a passage of Scrip- 
ture, and prayed as well as we could for all, and especially for 
that family. McPherson never afterwards tried to debate the 
question of religion with us. He was always kind and liberal; 
but when our successor, Dr. J. H. Merritt, came to his place, 
he said: 'No, I can not entertain him; I took care of Dr. Crary 
for four years, and think that is enough.' It is worth a journey 



266 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of a hundred miles to hear Brother Merritt tell that, and laugh 
over it. 

"We used to stop at Saguache, at the hospitable home of an 
aged Baptist couple named Ashley. The old gentleman was a 
very kind, generous man; his wife was a warm-hearted, happy 
Christian, and paid but little attention to 'keeping silence in the 
churches;' but told her experience, sometimes shouted, and went 
round the house begging her friends to give their hearts to God. 
She was a true-blue, deep-water Baptist; but utterly despised 
all narrowness, and was always at home in a Methodist meeting. 
We generally drove from McPherson's to Round Mountain, a 
perfectly ideal camping-place, a paradise of bronchos, and a de^ 
light to the eyes. At last a friend of ours took up a claim there, 
and made a home, where we received princely welcome. Our 
acquaintance with him opens up a case good enough for a novel; 
but we can not tell it now. Then we stopped at a Brother Fos- 
ter's, on a small creek some twelve or fifteen miles up the valley 
from Saguache, that was a paradise to a weary itinerant, who 
was welcome always to all they could give. For eight years, 
from 1872 to 1880, we traversed the Rocky Mountains, trying 
to build up God's Church. It was a period of almost unalloyed 
pleasure. We passed through ridiculous and perilous, joyous 
and trying experiences; but — 

'Out of them all the Lord 
Hath brought us on our way.' 

We staid with all sorts of people, and with some of very doubtful 
business; but always prayed with them morning and evening, 
and often at noon, when we stopped with frontiersmen. Our 
only regret was, all the time, that we could not plant more 
churches and send out more preachers. No more heroic men ever 
lived than our glorious cohort of frontier preachers. They de- 
serve immortality and eternal life. Five churches and five Meth- 
odist preachers in San Luis Valley seems like a dream. God 
bless them!" — Rocky Mountain Christian Advocate, June 18, 1891. 

Platte River Circuit. — The first minister of any denomi- 
nation known to have preached along the Valley of the South 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



267 



Platte River below Denver, was the Rev. L. B. Stateler, of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, who was freighting with 
a six-ox team from the Missouri River. As he journeyed up 
and down, he stopped and preached to the scattered settlers near 
Fort Lupton. 

April 19, 1863, was a red-letter day on the Lupton Bottoms. 
Rev. Stateler preached, morning and evening, in Mr. Stover's 
kitchen, which was on the west side of the Platte River, nearly 
opposite the fort. The settlers gathered from far and near; some 
on horseback, others with ox-teams. All carried their guns for 
fear of the Indians. 

The evening services were concluded by the marriage of the 
daughter of Mr. Stover and Richard Shaw. Twenty-three years 
from that time the writer was permitted to unite Richard Shaw's 
daughter in marriage with William Hamilton, of Lower St. Vrain ; 
now of Broadway Heights, Denver. 

Great credit is due these pioneers, who freely opened their 
homes for religious services. Father Stover lived to see the 
whole face of the country changed, and in his last days became a 
humble penitent at the foot of the cross, dying in hope of eternal 
life beyond. Mother Stover lived till past fourscore years, and 
departed this life, April, 1895, with a hope full of immortality. 

Early in the spring of 1863, Rev. Charles King came over 
from Boulder, where he was the pastor, preached and organized 
the first society, below Denver in the South Platte Valley, in 
Judge Hammitt's residence. This was a log cabin of two rooms, 
and stood on the east side of the river, two miles south of the 
present site of Platteville. Old Fort St. Vasquez was half-way 
between the two localities. 

The class consisted of Mrs. Lucinda M. Raney, Mr. and Mrs. 
Ireland, Ephraim and W. W. Nottingham, Mrs. and F. W. Ham- 
mitt. The latter was appointed class-leader. He has held that 
position ever since. That little society, organized with the sacred 
number of seven, still exists, and has developed into two Churches 
with their pastors — one at Fort Lupton and one at Platteville. 
Two of the original seven, Mrs. L. M. Raney and Hon. F. W. 
Hammitt, still hold their membership, and have their residence 
there. 



268 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Conference of 1863 announced a Denver Circuit. This 
is now supposed to have embraced all of the Platte Valley, above 
and below Denver. The valleys of Clear Creek, Ralston, and 
Boulder were in a separate charge. 

William Antes was engaged to supply this work. He came 
from Pennsylvania early in 1861, holding an exhorters license. 
He frequently held services at "Buckskin Joe," where he was 
licensed to preach in July, 1862. 

After this he preached in the South Park and in California 
Gulch, near what is now known as Leadville; then on Cherry 
Creek until the Conference of 1863, when he was engaged to 
supply the Denver Circuit. 

For some cause he spent most of his time that fall and winter 
in the valley above Denver. In April, 1864, he explored the 
northern portion of his work, starting down the Platte Valley, 
and preaching wherever he could find an opening. At Fort 
Lupton he heard of a religious family over on the Big Thompson, 
two miles east of the present site of Loveland. He hastened 
across the country northward, and late in the afternoon rode up 
to the door of W. B. Osborn, Esq., and rapped with his riding 
whip without alighting. To the lady who answered the knock, 
he said: "I am a Methodist preacher. My name is Antes. Can 
I stay with you over night?" That evening he preached to an 
audience composed of the entire population, consisting of thirteen 
persons, including three children, in a rude schoolhouse, near 
what has since been known as St. Louis. A year later he organ- 
ized here a class of three members — W. B. Osborn and wife, and 
David Hershman. This society still exists in the beautiful town 
of Loveland (and Brother Osborn and wife are still connected 
with it), where they own a neat church and parsonage. 

Brother A returned to the South Platte River Valley, 

and proceeded eastward. After zigzagging about for a time, he 
established preaching regularly once a month at or near the fol- 
lowing points: Henderson's Island; Fort Lupton, or Ireland's; 
Fort Vasquez, or Hammitt's; Ennice's, or LaSalle; and at Island 
Grove, now included in the town site of Greeley; then he passed 
up the valley of the Cache La Poudre, preaching near where 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



269 



Windsor now stands; on above, where Fort Collins is situated; 
and then turned southward to the Big and Little Thompson, 
St. Vrain, Left Hand, and other points, where he could get a few 
people together. It took him four weeks to make the rounds 
as he rode here and there over the valleys. He not only preached 
on the Sabbath, but ofttimes during the week. Whenever he 
arrived the neighbors were notified, and a service was held, at the 
close of which he would announce, "I will preach again on my 
next round." 

Peter Winne writes: "A short time after Brother A 's 

visit in April, which was the first sermon known to have been 
preached in the Poudre Valley, the Indian war of 1864 broke out. 
The first conflict occurred about thirty miles below Island Grove, 
where I resided; but faithful to his work, he came on his ap- 
pointed round in the month of May. 

"A sub-chief of the Arapahoes, named Friday, with quite a ' 
number of squaws, papooses, and a few aged male Indians, had 
camped within a short distance of my house, only a few days 
after hostilities began. This man Friday had spent some time 
in St. Louis, Mo., with some traders, when young, and under- 
stood English very well. I invited him to my house to church. 
He and his daughter, aged twenty, came. The girl was dressed 
in her Sunday best, having on a new suit of buckskin, beaded 
and fringed in the highest style of Indian art. All listened atten- 
tively, none more so than Friday and his daughter. Services 

over, Brother A 's horse was saddled, unnoticed by Friday, 

who, as soon as he observed it, rushed up to him, exclaiming, 
'Hold on! Hold on! Wait Wait! I have sent for my horses, 
and we will have a horse-race with you.' Antes declined the 
invitation, and the horse-race was indefinitely postponed." 

He was returned the second year to the "Platte River Cir- 
cuit," as it was now called. He traversed the same valleys as 
the year previous, hunting up "the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel," preaching, wherever an opportunity offered, in such rude 
schoolhouses and private dwellings as then existed. 

In June, 1865, owing to the serious Indian troubles that then 
prevailed, he felt compelled to give up the work, very much to 



270 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



the regret of the people. No one was appointed at the Confer- 
ence of that year for all this region, doubtless because of the 
state of things. 

On his last round, when at Father Coffman's, where Long- 
mont now stands, young Arthur heard him say, as he pointed 
to his saddled pony, ready to start, "The fleetness of that horse 
has saved my life several times when the Indians were after me." 

Boulder and Clear Creek Valleys. — Revs. Goode and 
Adriance were the first regular preachers of any denomination 
in these valleys. They preached at Golden City and Arapahoe, 
a small town just east of North Table Mountain, on the "mesa." 
Brother Adriance preached in the valley of the Boulder and on 
Left Hand in 1859-60. On the first page of an old class-book 
I read: 

"Golden City Class was formed February 6, i860. John W. Stanton 
was appointed class-leader. Remember the Quarterly Fast on Friday 
preceding each quarterly-meeting. 

"(Signed,) Jacob Adriance, 
"P. C. of Auraria and Denver City Mission, 

''Kansas and Nebraska Conference." 

This class-book was revised by Brother Adriance five months 
after, with the same leader and seventeen members enrolled. In 
this list we find the name of the pastor's bride, Fanny A., with 
whom he had been acquainted less than three weeks before mar- 
riage. She was the daughter of Rev. L. C. Rogers, of the Central 
New York Conference. 

The next revision of the old class-book was made December 
1, i860, when there were but ten members. Among them stands 
the name of Nelson H. Virden. This time he signs his name in 
charge of "Golden City and Boulder Mission." April 15, 1861, 
he had but six members left. The next pastor was J. W. Caugh- 
lan; class-leader, James Stickle, who has been a member of the 
society at Arvada for several years. Charles King in 1862, B. C. 
Dennis in 1863, and A. J. Sevarts leader of fifteen members. 
There is no record of any pastor in 1864. The circuit was di- 
vided in 1865, Presiding Elder Willard supplying Golden City 
in connection with the district, and C. H. Kirkbride preaching at 
Boulder. The next revision of the Golden class-book was made 



PICKET-LINE EXTENDED. 



271 



in 1866, with D. W. Scott preacher in charge, and Franklin 
Howard class-leader. The society now numbered twenty-four, 
five of whom bore the name of "Starr." John Cree, a local elder, 
preached at Ralston Crossing, and organized a class there in 1866. 

The next revision of the Golden class-book is in the hand- 
writing of Rev. B. T. Vincent, who served Golden, in connection 
with the district (1868), of which he was presiding elder. In the 
list of forty-three names we read the name of his devoted wife, 
M. Ella Vincent, and that of his eldest son, Leon H. William 
M. Smith served Golden, in connection with the district, in 1867. 
The next year Jesse Smith supplied the charge, having quite an 
ingathering at Ralston Crossing, where a small church was 
built. The following year the Ralston society became divided, 
and the church-building some years after was sold to the school 
district. That money, in 1890, went into the Arvada Methodist 
Episcopal Church. The first religious service in the vicinity 
of Arvada was held by Rev. D. W. Scott, pastor at Golden City, 
in the summer of 1866. He preached in Oliver Graves's new log 
house, which is yet standing on the bottoms, a mile southeast 
of the town. The next Fourth of July a Sunday-school picnic 
was held in the grove near his house. This is where several 
camp-meetings were held in later years. 

The first society was formed by William M. Smith, presiding 
elder, in a small schoolhouse which stood on the brow of the 
hill, a little west of the railroad depot, in Arvada. Daniel Ross 
was leader. Oliver and Lucy Graves, B. F. Wadsworth and 
wife, and several others, w T ere members of that class. A Union 
Sunday-school had previously been organized, with Simeon Cort 
for superintendent. This school was changed to a Methodist 
Episcopal Sunday-school, January 3, 1875, and so continues. 

In 1870, Golden City was made a separate charge, with F. C. 
Millington pastor. Other pastors are: G. W. Swift, 1871; H. C. 
Waltz, 1872-3; B. F. Taylor, 1874; W. L. Slutz, 1875-6-7; J. R. 
Eads, 1878-9; C. S. Uzzell, after Brother Eads left, in 1879-80; 
W. H. Greene, 1881-2; W. H. Gillam, 1883; J. F. White, 
1884-5-6; W. M. Bewley, 1887-8; L. Wright, 1889-90-91; O. J. 
Moore, 1892; S. W. Thornton, 1893; C. A. Brooks, 1894-5; J. R. 
Rader, 1896. 
18 



V. 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 

The ministers of the Colorado Territory met in the city of 
Denver, July 10, 1863, at nine o'clock A. M., for the purpose of 
organizing an Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Bishop E. R. Ames conducted the opening religious 
exercises, reading the 133d Psalm and the first part of the fifth 
chapter of Matthew, and then led in prayer, after which he read 
the action of the General Conference and of the Bishops' Meet- 
ing, in reference to the formation of the "Rocky Mountain Con- 
ference." 

The ministers present were: Oliver A. Willard, John L. Dyer, 
William H. Fisher, Charles King, B. C. Dennis, W. B. Slaughter, 
G. S. Allen, A. P. Allen, William Antes, J. M. Chivington, Will- 
iam Howbert, T. R. Kendall. 

The following committees were appointed: 

1. Public Worship.— O. A. Willard and B. C. Dennis. 

2. Conference Stewards. — W. H. Fisher, William Howbert, John L. 
Dyer. 

3. Education. — O. A. Willard, B. C. Dennis, Charles King. 

4. Sabbath-schools. — Charles King. 

5. State of the Country.— W. H. Fisher, W. Howbert. 

6. Publishing Minutes. — G. A. Willard, W. H. Fisher. 

7. Missions. — B. C. Dennis, with the request that Colonel Chiving- 
ton co-operate. 

8. Temperance.— O. A. Willard, C. King. 

9. Auditing Committee. — C. King, with the request that Governor 
Evans co-operate. 

10. Churches and Parsonages. — J. L. Dyer, W. H. Fisher. 

11. Bible and Tract Cause.— O. A. Willard. 

William B. Slaughter was announced as transferred to the 
Rocky Mountain Conference. John L. Dyer reported "that the 
prospects of picking is very poor for ministerial support in the 
South Park." William Howbert, whose work the previous year 
had extended from Canon City to twenty miles east of Pueblo, 

272 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 273 

said: "The thing in general looks dubious. No Sunday-schools." 
W. H. Fisher reported from Central City: "Salary, $1,000. Peo- 
ple liberal." He was elected to elder's orders. Charles King, 
from Black Hawk, said: "Everything moving finely. A good 
Sunday-school. A hallelujah time may be looked for next year." 
O. A. Willard reported his work in Denver City: "The work in 
good condition. Have had a good time generally." G. S. Allen, 
Boulder Circuit: "Doing finely. People religiously disposed. 
A large amount of material to build upon." William Antes, 
Cherry Creek Circuit: ''The way clear. The sun bright. Think 
if the enemy's works were properly stormed, great spoils would 
fall into our hands." A. P. Allen, Golden Circuit: "Two ap- 
pointments, Golden and Mt. Vernon; ten members at the latter." 
T. R. Kendall, St. Vrain: "A good support can be expected by 
any good preacher sent them." B. C. Dennis stated that "A. P. 
Allen had organized a class of twenty-five members of colored 
persons, who wished a preacher." Oliver A. Willard and Charles 
King were admitted into full connection. 



Second Day. — D. H. Petifish, not having been on his work, 
nor in the Territory, was located. William Howbert was granted 
a location at his own request. W. B. Slaughter was introduced 
on the third day. The report of the Committee on Education, 
was adopted. 

The Rocky Mountain Conference adjourned on Sunday even- 
ing, the 13th instant. After some encouraging words by the pre- 
siding officer, he read the following appointments: 

COLORADO DISTRICT— W. B. Slaughter, P. E. 

Pueblo and Canon City W. H. Fisher. 

South Park John L. Dyer. 

Blue River (now Breckenridge), and California Gulch (now 
Leadville), were left to be supplied. 

DENVER DISTRICT — Oliver A. Wizard, P. E. 
"He will officiate as pastor of Denver City until one can be se- 
cured," said the bishop. 

Denver Circuit Supplied by William Antes. 

Golden City B. C. Dennis. 

Boulder Charles King. 



274 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



St. Vrain Supplied by T. R. Kendall. 

Nevada Supplied by G. S. Allen. 

Denver City, Black Hawk, Central City, Empire City, were to be 

supplied, as soon as the bishop could go East and arrange 

therefor. 

The only difference between this list of appointments and 
those in the General Minutes is, that the "supplies" are here 
added. 

Reported at the organization, 241 members, 33 probationers, 
and 13 local preachers; 10 Sunday-schools, with 71 officers and 
teachers, and 449 scholars of all ages; one church on the South 
Park Circuit, valued at $300; and one parsonage in Central City, 
valued at $400. 

1864. — The General Conference in May changed the name 
to that of the Colorado Conference, which held its second session 
in Central City, Colorado Territory, beginning Thursday, Oc- 
tober 20, 1864. 

The following letter will explain why Bishop Clark did not 
preside: 

"San Francisco, Cae., October 1, 1864. 

"Rev. B. T. Vincent: 

"Dear Brother, — I had the question of attempting to return by the 
Overland route open till to-day, hoping to hear from you and others to 
whom I have written and telegraphed. 

"But failing to hear from you, and being assured here that the route 
continues to be impracticable, I have now concluded to take steamer, 
and not attempt the Overland route. I hear that no preachers have come 
on, and that Brother Willard has not and can not yet return. Still, I 
would say, hold the Conference and make out the appointments, sending 
to me at Cincinnati the result, also a description of the places left to be 
supplied, and the kind of men needed to supply them. No special num- 
ber are required to make a quorum in an Annual Conference. By all 
means hold a Conference. I inclose Brother W. B. Slaughter's report 
of his district. The amount of missionary money appropriated to the 
Colorado Conference is $3,000. Make the distribution of it, through 
your Missionary Committee. In great haste. Truly yours, 

"(Signed,) D. W. Ceark." 

John L,. Dyer was elected president, and B. T. Vincent secre- 
tary. Rev. John Cree, a local elder, opened the session with 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 



275 



singing and prayer. They then adjourned until the next day. 
A sermon was delivered by J. L. Dyer. 

Skcond Day. — William Antes led in prayer. Present: Col- 
onel J. M. Chivington, C. H. Kirkbride, H. J. Kimball, John 
Cree, C. W. Johnson, B. T. Vincent, Charles King, John Adkin- 
son, Iv. G. H. Green, W. H. Fisher, who was granted a location. 
The usual Conference committees were appointed. 

Third Day. — Brother Ely led in prayer. B. C. Dennis was 
granted a certificate of location. W. B. Slaughter was super- 
annuated. Conference adjourned, when John L. Dyer read the 
appointments, as follows: 

DENVER DISTRICT— O. A. Willard, P. E. 

Denver George Richardson. 

Platte River Circuit Supplied by William Antes. 

Central City B. T. Vincent. 

Black Hawk O. P. McMains. 

Nevada C. H. Kirkbride. 

Empire Charles King. 

G. L. Phillips, President of the Colorado Seminary, and member of 
the Denver Quarterly Conference. 

SOUTH PARK DISTRICT— John L. Dylr, P. £., 
and Pastor at Colorado City. 
Canon City Supplied by P. J. Smith. 

Brothers Willard, Phillips, Richardson, and McMains arrived 
after the Conference adjourned. 

1865. — Bishop Calvin KingslEy held the third session of 
the Colorado Conference in Lawrence Street Church, Denver, 
beginning June 22, 1865. 

B. T. Vincent was elected secretary, and W. W. Baldwin 
assistant. O. A. Willard, J. L. Dyer, Charles King, and B. T. 
Vincent answered to their names when the roll was called. The 
bishop then announced the transfer of O. P. McMains, from the 
Illinois Conference; George Richardson, from the Rock River 
Conference; William W. Baldwin, from the Maine Conference; 



276 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



William M. Smith, from the Nebraska Conference; and George 
Murray, from the Ohio Conference. 

Charles King, George Richardson, Charles H. Kirkbride, 
and Bethuel T. Vincent were ordained elders. W. B. Slaughter 
was granted a location. 

At the close of the session the bishop announced the follow- 
ing appointments : 

DENVER DISTRICT— O. A. Willard, P. K, 
and Pastor at Golden City. 

Denver W. M. Smith. 

Burlington (now Longmont) O. P. McMains. 

Boulder Circuit C. H. Kirkbride. 

Central and Nevada B. T. Vincent. 

Black Hawk William W. Baldwin. 

Empire City Charles King. 

President of Colorado Seminary, George Richardson. 

SOUTH PARK DISTRICT— John L. Dyer, P. E., 
and Pastor at Laurette and Lincoln. 

Colorado and Canon Cities. George Murray. 

Oro City Supplied by John Gilliland. 

George S. Phillips had died during the year. He was ad- 
mitted on trial in the North Ohio Conference in 1841, and ap- 
pointed to Richwood Circuit as junior preacher. He held the 
same relation at Bellefontaine, 1842, and at Kenton in 1843, when 
he was ordained deacon by Bishop Soule. He was also junior 
preacher at West Liberty in 1844. His other appointments were: 
Greenville, 1845-6, in charge the last date, when he was ordained 
elder by Bishop Hamline; Western Star, 1847; Brunswick in 
1852. 

He and his wife crossed the Isthmus of Panama on horse- 
back, she riding a man's saddle. "For a time he was editor of the 
"California Christian Advocate; but for the most part was presi- 
dent of the Young Ladies' Department of the University of the 
Pacific." 

While on a visit to his Ohio friends in 1861, the tocsin of war 
was sounded. That year and the following he was sent to Tiffin, 
Ohio; but before the Conference year of 1862 closed he was 



278 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



appointed chaplain of the 49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Health 
failed him in the army, and in 1864 he was transferred to the 
Colorado Conference, and appointed first president of the "Colo- 
rado Seminary," now "the University of Denver," which position 
he held about three months, when, on acount of continued fail- 
ing health, he returned to Ohio, and died near Wooster soon 
after. 

John Collom went to Empire City in July, 1864. Here he 
found a large three-story building standing in the side of a bluff. 
The third story was used for a dance hall, and was entered from 
the upper and town side. The lower story was on a level with the 
base of the ridge on the opposite side, where was an entrance. 
The writer has often preached in the above-mentioned hall. 

This building Brother Collom bought, and fitted up the hall 
for a church. Then he organized a small class, and applied to 
the Conference for a preacher, which was granted in the person 
of Charles King in October of that year, Brother Collom paying 
$500 per year on the pastor's salary. Two years after the Con- 
ference met in his house, and was mostly entertained by him and 
his excellent wife, who did her own work. 

1866. — The fourth session of the Colorado Conference was 
held in Empire City, beginning June 20th, Bishop Baker pre- 
siding. The devotional exercises were conducted by John E. 
Dyer. Present: W. M. Smith, George Richardson, B. T. Vin- 
cent, John E. Dyer, O. P. McMains, Charles King, George 
Murray, and W. W. Baldwin, who was elected secretary. The 
usual Conference committees were appointed. 

O. A. Willard was located at his own request. The Conference 
collected for missions, $15.10. On the third day, owing to the 
illness of the bishop, John E. Dyer was elected to preside. Reso- 
lutions of sympathy for the bishop were passed. The Conference 
voted that the Church Extension contribution be distributed as 
follows: To the Church at North Empire, $1,000; at Central 
City, $1,000; at Boulder, $500. W. W. Baldwin was ordained 
elder by the bishop in his sick-room. 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 



279 



Conference adjourned. The appointments were announced by 
J. L. Dyer: 

DENVER DISTRICT— William M. Smith, P. E. 

Denver B. T. Vincent. 

Burlington O. P. McMains. 

Boulder Charles King. 

Platte River To be supplied. 

Central City and Nevada To be supplied. 

Black Hawk W. W. Baldwin. 

Empire George Richardson. 

Golden City To be supplied. 

Colorado Seminary To be supplied. 

SOUTH PARK DISTRICT— John L. Dyer, P. E. 

Colorado and Canon Cities George Murray. 

Pueblo C. H. Kirkbride. 

Buckskin and Summit To be supplied. 



1867. — June 20TH found the Conference in its fifth session 
near Colorado City, with Bishop E. R. Ames in the chair. He 
conducted the devotional exercises. 

The trip from Denver to the seat of Conference was a memo- 
rable one. The distance was seventy-five miles. The journey 
had to be made over a trail, across a high divide covered with 
scattering timber and often infested by savages, with only here 
and there a settler. There were eleven in the party, nine of whom 
were on horseback. O. P. McMains drove a horse to an open 
buggy, in which the bishop rode. At the request of Rev. George 
Richardson, Governor Hunt furnished the party with guns and 
ammunition, with which to defend themselves in case of an In- 
dian attack. 

At one point on Plumb Creek the bishop sent R. J. Van 
Valkenburg and George Richardson on ahead to make arrange- 
ments for dinner. They soon found a lonely cabin, in which 
was a mother and two children. The husband had gone for a 
load of wood to sell in Denver and buy flour. So scanty were 
her supplies she at first declined to prepare any dinner for them; 
but when told who the party was, and that there was a live bishop 



28o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



among them, she said: "I have a little flour, bacon, and butter- 
milk. You shall have the best we have." 

The horses were picketed out on grass, and the dinner was 
gotten in short order ; which was greatly relished by all, espe- 
cially the buttermilk, of which the bishop was very fond. The 
meal over, the bishop led in prayer, and the party hastened on 
its journey. The lady of the house refused any compensation; 
yet each man, as he left the table, laid a silver dollar on his plate. 
When the good woman saw their liberality, she wept for joy. 

This was a remarkable Conference session, in that a camp- 
meeting was held in connection with it, in a grove, on an island, 
in the "Fountain, 5 '' just south of Colorado City. It was truly a 
time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. For years after- 
ward it was a subject of conversation by those who attended. 

In crossing over to the island, Brother McMains drove too 
low down, was upset, and came near losing his life. Though the 
horse and buggy were rescued, his grip, in which was a new suit 
of clothes, clean linen, and other valuables, was carried away by 
the swift current. The valise was afterward found. Seven mem- 
bers responded to their names. B. T. Vincent and Charles King 
were absent. John Gilliland, a local deacon, who had supplied 
Dayton the previous year, was ordained elder. 

W. A. Amsbury was announced transferred from the Ne- 
braska Conference. John L. Dyer was elected delegate to the 
General Conference, and William M. Smith alternate. The ap- 
pointments were: 

DENVER DISTRICT— William M. Smith, P. E., 
and Pastor at Golden City. 

Denver B. T. Vincent. 

Valmont and Burlington William W T . Baldwin. 

Central and Nevada O. P. McMains. 

Georgetown and Empire William A. Amsbury. 

Black Hawk To be supplied. 

SOUTH PARK DISTRICT — John L. Dyer, P. E. 
Fairplay and Dayton, the Presiding Elder, and one to be supplied. 

Colorado and Canon Cities George Murray. 

Pueblo C. H. Kirkbride. 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 



28l 



Gkorge Richardson was transferred to the Wisconsin Con- 
ference, and afterward re-transferred to the Rock River Confer- 
ence, which he had joined in 1861. Brother Richardson was born 
July 21, 183*8, in Vermont; educated at Evanston, Illinois. In 
1 871, after ten years of hard service in Illinois and Colorado, 
on account of failing health, he was superannuated, which rela- 
tion he still retains. As an active worker he remained in Colo- 
rado only three years. He was the first pastor of Lawrence 
Street Church, and second president of Colorado Seminary; at 
Empire also in 1866; each of these places a year. 

During his pastorate of Law- 
rence Street, after Phillips left 
the Seminary, he acted as pres- 
ident of that institution, leaving 
it without a dollar of indebted- 
ness against it. While pastor at 
Empire, he organized a class of 
twelve members, and built a 
small church at Mill City, now 
Dumont. 

In the summer of 1866 he or- 
ganized a class in Georgetown, 
in Rev. John Cree's house, ap- 
pointing him leader. This class 
continues to this day. Having 
been away four years, he re- 
turned in July, 1 87 1, to his old 
stamping-ground, to recuperate 
his wasted energies. In 1880 he moved with his family to the 
vicinity of Denver, to make this his permanent home, locating 
on a piece of land at Argo, a suburb of Denver. In his own 
house a prayer-meeting was soon started, out of which has 
grown, largely through his influence and liberality, the Argo 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

His devoted wife, the mother of four sons and one daughter, 
died in holy triumph March 20, 1884. Her mortal remains await 
the resurrection of the just, at "Riverside Cemetery." In June, 




G. RICHARDSON. 



282 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



1885, he was united in marriage, by Rev. D. H. Moore, D. D., 
to Miss Martha F. Franks, formerly of Doylestown, Ohio. She 
died May, 1894. He is now president of the Central Savings 
Bank, of Denver, Colorado. 

1868. — The: sixth session of the Conference met in Golden 
City, June 19th, Matthew Simpson, president. Six answered to 
their names: John T. Dyer, B. T. Vincent, George Murray, Will- 
iam M. Smith, O. P. McMains, and W. W. Baldwin, who was 
elected secretary. George H. Adams was announced transferred 
from the Illinois Conference, and introduced. The Conference 
took action, recommending the establishment of a depository 
in Denver for our Book Room supplies and publications for this 
Western country. 

Charles King was requested to surrender his parchments. 
W. F. Warren was recommended from Fair Play, and was ad- 
mitted on trial; though his name had been signed to the docu- 
ment as secretary of the Quarterly Conference, the -first-born of 
the Colorado Conference. 

Trustees for the Colorado Seminary were elected for four 
years. William W. Baldwin was located at his own request. He 
served the Church faithfully for two years in Black Hawk, and 
one year in Valmont, which then included Boulder and Burling- 
ton, now Longmont. After leaving Colorado he entered one 
of the Eastern Conferences, where he has been doing excellent 
work. 

This year closed the effective relation of Charles H. Kirk- 
bride, who was made supernumerary. He was at Boulder one 
year; Pueblo, two years. He homesteaded a piece of land near 
that town, and was located at his own request in 1870. Soon 
after, he took refuge in California's salubrious clime. William A. 
Amsbury was granted a location. It is said the bishop had great 
difficulty in adjusting the appointments. Here they are: 



Valmont and Burlington, Denver, Clear Creek, Golden City, 
Black Hawk, and Nevada, were left to be supplied. 



DENVER DISTRICT— B. T. Vincent, P. E. 



Central City 
Georgetown. 



. .G. H. Adams. 
George Murray. 



THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED. 



SOUTH PARK DISTRICT— Wiujam M. Smith, P. E. 

Colorado City and Pueblo O. P. McMains. 

Fair Play W. F. Warren. 

Trinidad Supplied by E. J. Rice. 

Canon City To be supplied. 

RIO GRANDE DISTRICT— John L. Dyer, P. E. 
Cimarron, Elizabethtown, and San Luis Valley, each to be sup- 
plied. 

DAKOTA DISTRICT— To be supplied. 
Cheyenne and Laramie City To be supplied. 



VI. 



HOW WE CAME TO GO TO COLO- 
RADO. 

Ofttimes have I been asked, "How did you come to go to 
Colorado?" In brief, I answer here. Few were happier or more 
contented in the regular Ohio pastorate than myself; yet for a 
long time I had felt there was work for me to do in the far West; 
but why should I worry about it, so long as the way did not open. 

The Pittsburg, now East Ohio, Conference met March 24, 
1869, i n New Philadelphia, the county-seat of Tuscarawas 
County, Ohio. I was then closing my second year at Canal 
Dover, which stood just above, on the opposite side of the river. 
One morning Bishop Ames, who presided, sent word for me 
to dine with him that day at Brother McClain's. Never suspect- 
ing the bishop's motive, the invitation was accepted. At the 
dinner-table I was seated at the bishop's right, and he was de- 
scribing a recent trip to Omaha and beyond, far out on the 
Plains, over the newly-constructed Union Pacific Railroad, when 
I innocently inquired as to the needs of the work in the far West. 
Turning his face towards me, he asked, "Young man, have you 
not had impressions that you ought to go West?" "I can not 
say that I have not, bishop," was the reply. 

Dinner over, the bishop said, "Come with me to my room." 
Seated, he continued, "I want you to go to Colorado." "Where 
is Colorado, bishop?" "You know where Denver is, on the 
map?" "Yes." "Well, Denver is Colorado." "But I can not go, 
bishop. My wife is an invalid, and has been under the physician's 
care for six months." Speaking then with great emphasis, he 
said: "That delightful climate will prolong her life. The beautiful 
valleys, hills, and mountains will charm her. I am now convinced 
that it is your duty to go. I give you two weeks to get ready. 
Write to Bishop Kingsley, who presides at that Conference in 
June, that I have found him a man, as I have not the time, and 
tell him I say you must go. Ask Bishop Thomson to transfer 
you to the Colorado Conference." "Hold, bishop!" I answered, 

284 



HOW WE CAME TO GO TO COLORADO. 285 

"I have no money to defray the expense of moving so far." 
I thought this would block the bishop's scheme. But, no! 
Listen to his reply. "We have a fund for that purpose, and I 
will pay them." In consulting with my wife, she said: "To stay 
here is death. I can but die if I go, and it may prolong my life." 

In two weeks, library and household goods, except furniture, 
were packed, farewells said, and this writer, with his family, was 
en route for Central City, Colorado. The following note accom- 
panied his transfer: 

"Delaware;, Ohio, May 8, 1869. 
"Dear Brother, — Yours received. Although we need you in the 
North Ohio Conference, yet the necessities of the work in the far West 
are so great that I do not hesitate to comply with your request for a 
transfer to the Colorado Conference, which you will find on the opposite 
page. Yours truly, (Signed,) E. Thomson." 

The last good-bye was said, in Ohio, at Norwalk, Huron 
County, on the morning of May 24, 1869, when we stepped on 
board the train for Colorado Territory, which seemed, at that 
time, so far away. We halted in Iowa and Missouri to visit 
friends and relatives. As this was our first trip West, much was 
new and novel, and was greatly enjoyed. 

Soon after passing Springfield, Illinois, at about seven o'clock 
A. M., the sleeper, in which we were riding, jumped the track, 
thumped along on the ties for a short distance, careened over 
to the right against a bank of earth, and smashed in the win- 
dows on that side of the car. While all were badly shaken up, 
no bones were broken, though some carried bruises for weeks 
afterward. 

The conductor's wife was going to her father's with her first- 
born, a mere babe. A moment before the accident the writer 
suggested that she lay the little one, wrapped in a shawl, on a 
seat to sleep, as the mother seemed very weary and needed rest. 

That darling child of only a month was found after the wreck 
in the debris, covered with black soil and broken glass, unawak- 
ened and unharmed, while the mother was considerably bruised. 

A large, fleshy woman, gasping for breath, was, with difficulty, 
carried out and laid on the ground. When she was asked by a 



286 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



lady passenger, whose head had been bumped severely, if she was 
hurt, she replied, in a scarcely audible voice, "Yes, and that bad, 
too." After the excitement was over, she could not find a 
scratch. 

A family from West Virginia was on a visiting tour of inspec- 
tion. As soon as the car tipped over, the wife, a tall, lank woman, 
went down on her knees, and prayed vehemently for several min- 
utes. Rising to her feet, swinging her sunbonnet around her 
head vigorously, in a sharp, shrill voice, she exclaimed: "I knowed 
it! I knowed it! I told my old man we would all be killed if 
we went on the cars. I am not a-going to ride another step! I 
shall walk," and out of the wrecked car she crept, starting off on 
foot. A number of the passengers got around her, and inter- 
cepted her progress, finally inducing her to return to the train, 
when she found that no one was killed or seriously injured. 

We crossed the Mississippi River at Keokuk, Iowa, on a 
steamer, and the Missouri River at Omaha on a ferry-boat. 
There were no bridges at the time across those streams. 

At Omaha, in the hotel where we spent the night, a lady was 
robbed of her pocket-book. She could neither go back or for- 
ward. What was she to do? The thief did not leave her a copper 
to pay her hotel bill, or to buy her ticket to Cheyenne, where she 
had been summoned to care for a sick sister, who was the wife 
of one of the editors of the leading paper published there at that 
time. We found her in tears, listened to her story, pitied her, 
paid her hotel bill, bought her ticket, took her into the sleeper 
with us, and brought her to her destination. Her brother-in-law 
made it all right with us. 

Our train left Omaha on the morning of June 22d, reaching 
Cheyenne the next morning. This was then a typical border 
town, where the rougher element greatly predominated. The 
buildings were mostly one-story board shanties. Since then 
large brick and stone blocks and elegant residences have taken 
their places. Cheyenne now is a model city of neatness and 
thrift, the capital of the State of Wyoming. 

There was quite a variety of passengers in the sleeper. 
Among them were several dignitaries of an unmentioned Church. 
Although the water-tanks were filled at the river, yet as soon 



HOW WE CAME TO GO TO COLORADO. 287 

as we were well out on the Plains, the water became dangerous to 
health, and therefore, when drank, "somethin' " must be put 
therein to prevent sickness. "A change of water is very bad, 
you know," remarked one of the gentlemen above referred to, 
as an excuse for visiting the tank so often. It was remarkable 
how thirsty those men became! The writer always takes water 
straight, and plenty of it, without injury, no matter where he is. 

The coach was to leave at nine; but for some reason did not 
get off until ten A. M. For my son, a lad of eleven years, and 
small of his age, the cost of a seat to Denver, one hundred and 
ten miles, was $18. 

. There were seventeen passengers, not counting the baby, 
with baggage and express matter enough to fill a lumber-wagon; 
yet four horses managed to pull it all through, by exchanging 
every twelve or fifteen miles. 

The streams crossed after nightfall were bank-full, in places 
covering the low bottoms. The bridges were mostly rickety 
concerns, made of round poles or of puncheons, not especially 
inviting as crossings, with the raging torrent underneath. The 
driver required the drowsy passengers to walk over before he 
would cross with the coach. One was considered so unsafe that 
he forded the stream with his team after the passengers had 
crossed the tottering concern. These walks relieved the monot- 
ony of the ride several times during the night. 

On the coach was Mr. A. J. Gill, a realty agent, and one of 
the first Sunday-school superintendents in Denver. He enter- 
tained us "tender-feet" with thrilling incidents of hairbreadth 
escapes from Indian depredations, along the way. Another, on 
the middle seat of the coach, was John R. Hanna, Esq., for years 
a leading banker in Denver, and an active worker in the First 
Congregational Church. Our first view of Denver was from 
the bluff on the "north side," and was anything but inspiring. 
On that side of the Platte River there was but one dwelling- 
house, some powder-houses, and the Masonic cemetery, with a 
board fence. F Street, now Fifteenth, was the main business 
street, and that morning was lined with "prairie schooners," each 
one of which was drawn by from four to twelve yoke of oxen. If 
not on the move, these were lying down, chewing their cuds. 
19 



288 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

Most of the business-houses were one-story frames. Many of the 
dwellings were no better. There were a few brick buildings; 
such as the United States Mint, and the store north of it; the 
Lawrence Street Church, corner of Fourteenth and Lawrence 
Streets; Ex-Governor Evans's residence, on the corner of Four- 
teenth and Arapahoe Streets, where he died, and the Colorado 
Seminary opposite; the American House, also, which was first 
opened that morning for business, and a few others, which I can 
not now recall. Denver then claimed a population of four thou- 
sand souls. Although we reached the city at eight o'clock A. M., 
June 24, 1869, the coach for Central City had been gone an 
hour. The Conference met there that morning, and we had 
promised to be present on that day. What shall we do? became 
an important inquiry. There seemed no other alternative than 
to hire a rig to convey us thither. After canvassing the livery 
stables, the best terms for a good team, driver, and a two-seated 
carriage, leaving our trunks to be forwarded by freight, was $35, 
to convey us thirty-five miles. 

The mountains appeared to our unpracticed eyes only half a 
mile distant, certainly not over a mile away at the farthest. We 
thought, with our spanking team of strawberry roans — and there 
are few better — we shall reach the mountains in fifteen or twenty 
minutes, and be way beyond their snowy summits long before 
arriving at our destination. After an hour's driving at a good 
gait they seemed no nearer than when we first started. The 
writer said to the driver, a nice young man of nearly twenty 
years, who a few weeks after was drowned while bathing in 
Twin Lakes: "What is the matter? Are the mountains receding, 
or are we trotting in a half-bushel?" We halted by the wayside, 
and refreshed ourselves and horses at a spring of water, flowing 
from under a bank. Still, another hour or more passed before 
we reached Golden City at the foothills, entered the narrow, 
rocky gorge of the "Golden Gate," and began the ascent of the 
mountains. 

Rev. Stevens, of the Kansas Conference, occupied one of the 
seats of the carriage with us. 

As we slowly ascended along the gravelly bed of an ephemeral 
stream, with towering rocks on either hand, expressing our sur- 



HOW WE CAME TO GO TO COLORADO. 289 

prise at their dimensions, the driver remarked, "The Rocky 
Mountains are rightly named." 

Surely, thought we, after an hour or more of such climbing, 
we shall soon reach the top, touch the snow, and look off on the 
other side. We halted at the stage station, near the foot of "Guy 
Hill," for a late dinner. The ride and the mountain air sharpened 
our appetites, so that we did ample justice to the sumptuous re- 
past; for which the charge was one dollar each. Several times 
during the day we were compelled to take the roadside, in very 
dangerous nooks to make way for those long ox-freight-teams to 
pass. Just before the sun sank behind the snow-bedecked peaks, 
we alighted in front of the pleasant home of Henry M. Teller, 
Esq., for years United States senator from Colorado, where 
Bishop Kingsley and others gave us a hearty welcome. Yet the 
snowcapped summits were far beyond us, and really seemed no 
nearer than in the morning. 

All the way up we were awed and amazed at the grandeur 
and sublimity of the mountains, rising, as they do, peak on peak, 
higher and higher, until their lofty summits seemed to pierce 
the very clouds, and inaccessible; reminding us of Pope's sub- 
lime words, — 



"Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise." 



VII. 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE AS 
WE FOUND IX IN 1S69. 

Central City was, at that time, the headquarters of gold- 
lode mining on the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains, and 
claimed a population, with its adjuncts, of six thousand, subject to 
fluctuations. It is the county-seat of Gilpin County, stands at 
the mouth of two gulches, and is far from level. Moving or 
lounging about the narrow streets (the gulches will admit of no 
other) were the inevitable ox-teams. The stamp-mills kept up 
a continuous "Thump! thump!" day and night, Sunday and 
week-day alike. Numerous quartz teams were hauling ore from 
the mines to the mills. Judging from appearances, business 
houses, saloons, gambling-houses, brothels, and theaters did a 
thriving business on Saturday nights and Sundays. The only 
exception to this was the absence of work in the mines; for, as 
a rule, Cornish miners will not work on the Sabbath-day. To 
us, just arrived from the East, it seemed exceedingly queer, and 
we felt we had reached a world where pandemonium was turned 
loose. 

The Conference had only six members in the active work in 
full connection, viz.: John L. Dyer, B. T. Vincent, George H. 
Adams, William M. Smith, George Murray, O. P. McMains, 
and two supernumeraries, C. H. Kirkbride and Charles King. 
There was also one probationer, W. F. Warren, and two local 
preachers, who had supplied charges the year previous. These 
were excellent men, and did a good work ; but others have entered 
into their labors. 

Bishop Kingsley ordained to local deacon's orders D. T. 
Griffith and William Shepherd, who had supplied Canon City; 
to local elder's orders, P. Peterson, who had the preceding year 
been on the Valmont and Burlington work. These latter places 
have been superseded by Boulder and Longmont. J. L. Peck 
had served Lawrence Street Church; A. Cather had been on the 
Dakota District, preaching at Cheyenne and Laramie City; Jesse 

290 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE IN 1 869. 29 1 

Smith had filled the Clear Creek Charge, now Arvada ; these were 
transferred into the Conference. G. W. Swift, who had preached 
at Black Hawk and Nevada, was admitted on trial. 

George Wallace was received by transfer from the Rock River 
Conference in Illinois, and Isaac H. Beardsley from the North 
Ohio. A. Cather was transferred back to the Philadelphia Con- 
ference. 

The statistical report showed that there were, in the Colorado 
Conference, 498 members, 847 probationers; 21 Sunday-schools, 
with 487 scholars; 3 parsonages, valued at $1,300; 12 churches, 
valued at $65,900; received for benevolences of the Church, $683; 
total salaries paid, $14,453; twelve men received appointments 
from the bishop, nine to charges and three on districts, namely: 

DENVER DISTRICT— B. T. Vincent, P. E., 
and Pastor at Golden. 



Denver J. L. Peck. 

Boulder and Burlington Supplied by R. J. Van Valkenberg. 

Big Thompson and La Poudre (now Fort Collins, Windsor, 

Greeley, Evans, and Loveland) G. W. Swift. 

Ralston and Clear Creek (now Arvada) Jesse Smith. 

Central City G. H. Adams. 

Black Hawk and Nevada George Wallace. 

Georgetown Isaac H. Beardsley. 

ARKANSAS DISTRICT— George Murray, P. E., 
and Pastor at Colorado City. 

Canon City William M. Smith. 

Pueblo O. P. McMains. 

Fair Play W. F. Warren. 



SANTA FE DISTRICT— John L. Dyer, P. E. 
Without a member or a solitary assistant, not even a wife, he was 
not only presiding elder, but pastor for all New Mexico and the San Luis 
Valley in Colorado. 

John L. DyKR was born March 16, 1812, near Columbus, 
Ohio. His sole object, entering the ministry at a rather ad- 
vanced age in life, was to so preach the gospel as to save souls. 
June 20, 1861, found him walking into Denver City penniless, 
having been robbed the night before. 



292 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



In 1868, when the bishop proposed that he go to New Mexico 
the coming year, he objected, on the ground of non-adaptability. 
Succeeding events have shown that there was no mistake in that 
appointment. "He was the right man in the right place." On 
his way southward, to the vast "regions beyond," on horseback, 
if a pony can be called a horse, he preached to the soldiers at 

Fort Garland, which 
stood at the southern 
base of Sierra Blanca, 
the loftiest peak of the 
Rocky Mountains, on 
the eastern edge of the 
San Luis Valley. This 
was probably the first 
sermon ever preached 
in that valley. 

"Father" Dyer was 
never particular where 
he preached, whether 
in the street, saloon, 
cabin, school-room, 
church, on mountain, 
valley, or plain, so he 
delivered the message 
of salvation to dying 
men. In his preaching 
he never once consid- 
ered ease, popularity, 
or salary. When tak- 
ing a collection, he was 
always glad to get his hat back, if perchance there should be 
nothing of value in it, for he had spoken the truth to sinful men. 
What cared he whether he traveled on foot, horseback, or "snow- 
shoes!" The one burning desire was, that he "might not build 
upon another man's foundation." 

John L. Dyer has preached the gospel in more out-of-the-way 
places, and in more new towns, for the first time, than any other 
man, living or dead, within the bounds of the Colorado Confer- 




FATHER DYER, 
The Snow-shoe Itinerant. 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE IN 1 869. 



293 



ence. Often working with his own hands for his support on the 
week-days, yet when the Sabbath came he blew the gospel 
trumpet with no uncertain sound. He has been a "True Sir 
Knight" of the gospel throughout this region for thirty-six years. 
His sermons always had the true gospel ring in them. Every- 
where he proclaimed a free salvation; yet in his denunciations 
of wrong he spared neither friend nor foe. 

His ready wit and religious enthusiasm carried him through, 
winning the respect of saint and sinner. A few sallies of his wit, 
not in his "Snow-shoe Itinerant," published in 1890 by the 
Western Methodist Book Concern, will be enjoyed. 

Some time during the early spring of 1868, one Sabbath after- 
noon, weary and dusty from a walk of over a hundred miles, he 
met with the old Lawrence Street Sunday-school, when the pas- 
tor made the following announcement: "Children, Old Father 
Dyer is in the audience, and after singing this hymn he will make 
a short talk." The hymn was sung, and the pastor invited "Old 
Father Dyer" forward to the altar to address the school. 

This reference quickened his pulse, as he walked upon the 
platform with a firm and elastic step, and with a peculiar twinkle 
in one corner of his eye, in a drawling tone of voice, he began 
with: "O-l-d F-a-t-h-e-r D-y-e-r; yes, children, O-l-d F-a-t-h-e-r 
D-y-e-r. I may be old; but I am not barefoot on the top of my 
head, neither do I wear store teeth tied into my mouth with a 
string!" 

The point of the joke will readily be seen, when we recollect 
that, though their pastor was about twenty-two years younger 
than he, yet the top of his head was "above timber-line," and he 
wore false teeth. 

At the session of the Conference held in Colorado Springs 
in 1874, "Father Dyer" had been on the "Outposts" during the 
year previous, and had taken no collections, though a few had 
been converted. Bishop Bowman thought it best to remind him 
and others how important it was to take all the collections at 
every appointment, no matter where he preached, and by way 
of illustration told of a circuit he once traveled, and how carefully 
he attended to all the financial matters. Every eye was on Father 
Dyer, to see how he was taking it, every ear open for his response. 



294 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



When the bishop had finished, Father Dyer slowly arose, address- 
ing the chair, said, "Bishop, you did WELL." The whole audience 
were convulsed with laughter. 

At the Golden Session in 1878, a new constitution for the 
"Preachers' Aid Society" was before the body for consideration. 
A tall, dark-complexioned brother arose, and made a telling, 
tearful speech against the adoption of one of the by-laws, closing 
with, "If that becomes the rule of this Conference, and I should 
die before the year is out, then my wife and> children could get 
no help from this fund for the next four years." The speech 
was scarcely ended and the speaker seated, when Father Dyer, 
with his hands on the back of the seat in front of him, half arose 
and addressed the chair, quoting, in a drawling tone of voice, the 
following lines: 

"Hark, from the tombs a doleful sound! 
Mine ears attend the cry." 

The effect was electrical and ludicrous in the extreme. 

One day at the same session, a young brother, whose hearing 
was rather dull, and who used a tin ear-trumpet, made himself 
quite conspicuous by declaring that some remarks Father Dyer 
had made were rather personal, and demanded to know to whom 
he had reference. Father Dyer responded quickly with, "I meant 
it for any one whom the coat might fit; especially the young 
brother over there with the tin horn." This brought down the 
house in roars of laughter. Bishop Simpson, occupying the 
chair, failed to maintain his usual gravity. 

Father Dyer was visiting an old acquaintance in the moun- 
tains, on the South Park Road, in 1893, and his friend invited 
him to tarry for dinner. After the blessing was asked, a half- 
grown son nudged his father in the side, inquiring, "Dad, who 
was ne talking to?" 

ihere are those who look down upon, and speak in derision 
of so-called "circuit-riders." Father Dyer says, "I never rode 
a circuit; I always rode a horse!" 

Bethuee T. Vincent was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 
August 9, 1834. His father moved North when he was two and 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE IN 1 86$. 



295 



-a half years old, settling in Central Pennsylvania, where, with 
the opportunities of. the public school only, he was enabled to 
lay a foundation in common English branches for studies that 
ever since he has been compelled to follow in the midst of busi- 
ness and clerical duties. He spent two years in clerking in Erie, 
Pa., and six in Chicago. He was a short time at Garrett Biblical 
Institute, Evanston, 111.; en- 
tered the ministry in i860, 
in the Rock River Confer- 
ence. His appointments have 
been : Lamont, two years ; 
Lockport, one year; trans- 
ferred to the Colorado Con- 
ference, September 28, 1863, 
and was at Central City, in- 
cluding Black Hawk and Ne- 
vada, a part of the time, for 
three years ; Denver, two 
years; four years on the 
then Denver District, includ- 
ing the pastoral oversight of 
Golden City one year ; Law- 
rence Street, Denver, three 
years more; Colorado 
Springs, eight months; 
transferred to the Philadel- rkv. b. t. vincent, d. d. 

phia Conference, and was 

stationed at Mauch Chunk; Park Avenue, Philadelphia; Potts- 
ville; Fortieth Street, Philadelphia; three years each. He and 
Mrs. Vincent then spent three months in Europe, and on his 
return was pastor two years at First Church, Akron, Ohio ; mak- 
ing fourteen years in the East. He was then transferred back 
to Colorado in 1889, and served the Church in Greeley some- 
thing less than a year; then First Church, Pueblo, two years. 
When Bishop Hurst wisely formed the New Denver District, in 
1892, he was appointed thereto. He is an entertaining talker, an 
instructive preacher, earnest and energetic in all his movements. 
He is attentive to all the minutice of the work committed to him, 




296 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



whether in the pastorate or on the district. As a Sunday-school 
teacher and organizer and normal class-leader, he has few su- 
periors. He is in great demand as a teacher and lecturer at the 
Chautauqua Assemblies. He has builded largely in the temple 
of the living God in Colorado. 

O. P. McMains was transferred to the Colorado Conference 
in 1865. He served Black Hawk, one year; Burlington, one 
year — this work then embraced the valleys of Boulder, Left 
Hand, Saint Vrain, Little and Big Thompson, Cache La Poudre, 
and the Platte River to Denver. In 1867, he was sent to Central 
City. During that year he made a trip to California; but re- 
turned in time to be appointed to Colorado City and Pueblo, in 
1868. 

At the latter place he secured lots, and built an adobe church; 
the whole property valued at $2,500. In this unfinished building 
the Conference was held in 1870. Pie remained here three years, 
Colorado City having been taken off at the end of the first year. 
In 1 87 1 he was granted a location at his own request, and settled 
on a piece of land near Raton, N. M. 

In 1875-6 he was imprisoned in and out for over a year in that 
Territory, it was thought through spite, on account of his zeal 
in ferreting out the assassin of Rev. F. J. Tolby, who was assas- 
sinated in 1875 while returning to Cimarron, from filling an 
appointment in Elizabethtown. The citizens of Colorado sent a 
petition to the President of the United States in his behalf, signed 
by hundreds of names. Soon after, he was tried, and finally dis- 
charged. He has made a most desperate fight in the courts for 
the settlers against the Maxwell Land Grant monopoly, which he 
and others believe to be a most gigantic fraud. He now resides at 
Stonewall, Las Animas County, Colorado. 

William M. Smith came to Colorado by transfer in 1865, 
and was appointed to Denver City, where he served one year; 
then two years on the Denver District; one year on the South 
Park District; and one year at Canon City; withdrew from the 
connection in 1873, and united with the Methodist Episcopal 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE IN l86g. 297 

Church, South, and became their organizer in the Rocky Moun- 
tain region. 

W. F. Warren was admitted on trial, June 20, 1868, at the 
first session held in Golden City; was ordained deacon at Pueblo 
in 1870, and elder at Georgetown in 1872. He served the follow- 
ing charges, each two years: Fairplay; Colorado City; Boulder 
and Valmont, building a church at the former place, and Chey- 
enne; he was then three years in Greeley; one year at Evanston 
and Rock Springs, Wyoming. At the session in Eeadville in 
188 1, he was made a supernumerary. In 1883 he transferred 
to the California Conference, where he has been doing excellent 
work for the Master, preaching always a free and a full salvation 
from all sin. (See 1 John i, 7.) 

George Murray found himself in Colorado by ecclesiastical 
authority in 1866, serving the Churches of Colorado and Canon 
Cities, where he did faithful work for two years, though they 
were forty miles apart, and almost' without an inhabitant be- 
tween. In 1867, he and Rev. B. M. Adams, of the Baptist 
Church, of Canon City, had a blessed revival ; about one hundred 
were added to their Churches. In 1868, he was sent to George- 
town. Here he superintended the building of the church, which 
was dedicated by Bishop Kingsley in June of 1869. Then he 
was presiding elder of the Arkansas (now Pueblo) District for 
three years. On account of injuries received by being thrown 
from a buggy, he was superannuated in 1872. He was trans- 
ferred to the Ohio Conference in 1874. For some years he has 
resided at College Mound, Mo. 

George H. Adams joined the Illinois Conference on trial, 
1859; admitted to full connection, 1861; transferred to Colorado 
in 1867, and was appointed to Central City, where he remained 
three years. In 1870 he became preacher in charge of the newly- 
formed work of Laramie City, Cheyenne, and Greeley, with 
E. C. Brooks as his colleague. Brooks spent most of his time 
at Laramie City, and Adams the most of his at the two last- 



298 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



named places, starting- a Church enterprise at Greeley, which 
he succeeded in pushing to a successful completion in 1871. 
Bishop Foster made him presiding elder of the Greeley 

District in 1872, on which he re- 
mained four 3^ears. The next two 
years he was financial agent for 
the Central City Church, which 
he succeeded in saving, at great 
sacrifice to himself. He became 
superintendent of Missions in Ari- 
zona in 1879, which position he 
held for twelve } T ears. The Con- 
ference of 1 89 1 granted him a 
superannuated relation, on ac- 
count of the partial loss of his 
eyesight. His home is in Phoenix, 
Arizona. 

Brother Adams is a man of no 
mean ability^, and has wrought 
earnestly in the work of the 
ge;o. h. adams. Church of his choice. 

The Ohio State University 
conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1 



Jesse Smith was transferred from the Maine Conference in 
1868, and sent to "Ralston Crossing and Clear Creek," now 
Arvada, which he served two years; then to Fairplay and Gran- 
ite, one year; and Monument, one year; transferred to the Central 
Illinois Conference in 1872. 



John Levi Peck, born November 26, 1828. Entered the 
ministry in the New York Conference in 1852. Having subse- 
quently retired from the active work, he graduated from the 
Homeopathic Medical College of New York City in 1866, and 
located in Bridgeport, Conn. The conviction that he ought to 
preach the gospel still pressed upon him. He re-entered the 
work, and was appointed to Second Street Church, New York 



THE COLORADO CONFERENCE IN 1 869. 299 

; City, from which he transferred to Lawrence Street, Denver, in 
1868, where he remained three years; then was transferred back 
to his old Conference, where he has filled important stations for 
years. He is now on the retired list, living a green and happy 
old age. 

George; Wallace was transferred from the Rock River Con- 
ference in 1869, and appointed to Black Hawk and Nevada, where 
he remained two years; then to Platte River Circuit (now Fort 
Lupton, Platteville, and Evans Charges) ; Erie and Valmont, and 
Pueblo, one year each; located in 1878. His home is in Boulder, 
Colorado, where his devoted wife died, April, 1893. He married 
again in June, 1894. Brother Wallace is a clear thinker, superior 
Bible-class teacher, and an able preacher. 

George W. SwiET came into the Conference on trial in 1869, 
having served Black Hawk part of the previous year. He was 
then sent to Big Thompson and La Poudre; Ralston and Clear 
Creek, 1870; Golden, 1871; Cheyenne, Wyoming, 1872; trans- 
ferred to the Pittsburg Conference in 1873. 

R. J. Van Vaekenberg was born, August 6, 1823, in Scho- 
harie County, New York; converted December 28, 1841; licensed 
to preach in 1845; admitted into the Wyoming Conference, 1850, 
at its first session. 

"In 1862, while preaching one Sunday morning at Montrose, 
Pa., a telegram came from Governor Curtin for help, as the 
rebels were preparing to bombard Harrisburg. 'Van' left the 
pulpit, and raised a company of one hundred and eight men, of 
which he was elected captain. After the battle of Antietam he, 
with his company, returned home; but they were held as a reserve, 
and were on the picket-line at Carlisle, Pa., the entire night be- 
fore the commencement of the battle of Gettysburg. 

"He soon after volunteered as chaplain of the Pioneer Corps, 
going with Sherman 'through Georgia.' He was sick, nigh unto 
death, and for two months lay in the hospital at Atlanta, Ga. In 
January, 1865, he was honorably discharged at Nashville, Tenn., 



3oo 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and returned to his old home in Oswego, N. Y.; but in April of 
that year came to Colorado in search of health." 

He went to work in the mines near Central City at four dol- 
lars a day. In 1867 he supplied the Church in Central for about 



and Sunday-school, preaching the first sermon and conducting the 
first Sunday-school in that town. He built the first house in Erie, 
May, 1872, where he preached the first sermon and organized the 
first Sunday-school. " He is kept in civic office almost constantly, 
having served as postmaster, justice of the peace, mayor, presi- 
dent of School Board, representative from Weld County in the 
Legislature in 1883, notwithstanding the fact that he has fought 
whisky, beer, and the devil, and is still on the war-path." 

March 1, 1893, he and his good wife celebrated their golden 
wedding. Many were the guests, and valuable were their pres- 
ents. They are enjoying a happy old age in the smile of God 
and love of their children, grand and great-grandchildren, and 
the confidence of the community. "Van" is a genial companion, 
good singer, and, when at his best, a strong preacher. 




R. J. VAN VALKENBERG. 



six months. The court- 
house was their place 
of meeting. He, in 
1869-70, supplied the 
Boulder and Burling- 
ton Circuit, preaching 
regularly at Boulder, 
Valmont, Burlington, 
Hager's, Upper St. 
Vrain, Porter's, Baily's 
and at Way's on Left 
Hand. The second 
year, Boulder and Val- 
mount were made a 
separate charge. In 
the spring of 1871 the 
Chicago Colony laid 
out the town of Long- 
mont. "Van" at once 
moved up the Church 



VIII. 



GEORGETOWN. 

Georgetown stands close up under the range, in a small 
"Park," half a mile wide and a mile long, surrounded by precipi- 
tous mountains, which rise from two to three thousand feet above 
the town. In 1869, of which time I write, its buildings were 
entirely of wood. A population was claimed of four thousand 
souls. Nearly all were engaged in mining, or in supplying them. 
It was then the center of silver-mining in Colorado, and the head- 
quarters for an unusually rough element of society. Saturday 
evening the men came down off the mountains to get their mail, 
and supplies for the coming week. There seemed to be more 
business done on the Sabbath than any other day. The male 
population greatly predominated. The church, which seated 
about three hundred and fifty, would often be filled with men, 
not over a dozen women being present. 

On reaching Georgetown, in a hack from Central City, we 
found comfortable lodgings at "The Legget House," where we 
remained for two days. The bill, after making some reduction, 
was $18! 

Peter J. Smith, a large-hearted local preacher, called on Fri- 
day evening, and, without an apology, invited us to his home. 
This we found to be a house of three small rooms, with only one 
bed, a lounge, and a cot. His family consisted of himself, wife, 
child, and mother. Now he had taken in three more, myself, 
wife, and son, until we could do better. Surely this humble 
abode seemed to us weary travelers a veritable paradise. The 
bed was divided, one part placed on the floor, and we were made 
very comfortable; but that most appreciated was the hearty 
welcome with which we were entertained. 

We afterward learned that there were several families who 
could have kept their pastor and his family over the Sabbath 
much more conveniently; but they were too busy, or too in- 
different, to think of it. 

301 



302 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The next week we secured board in a private family, for two, 
at $18 per week, our son remaining at Brother Smith's. 

Charles King was sent to Empire City in October, 1864, 
where he remained two years. The charge was a two-weeks' cir- 
cuit, with four regular appointments: Upper and Lower Empire; 
Mill City, now Dumont; and Idaho Springs. At Empire he mar- 
ried Miss Mary E. Royce, with whom he lived happily till his 
departure. After his death she was subsequently married to 
Albert Wolff, of Arvada. 

In the evening of July 25, 1864, B. T. Vincent preached the 
first sermon in Georgetown, in the dining-room of J. E. Plum- 
mer's boarding-house, which was built of logs, and stood just 
below Tucker Brothers' store, on the east side of the creek. 
Thirty-five were present at this first service. The town then had 
about one hundred inhabitants. He organized a class of seven, 
with Brother Plummer leader. They held weekly prayer-meet- 
ings, and a Sunday-school on the Sabbath in his dining-room. 
A year after, the town became so near depopulated that Brother 

P left, and the Sunday-school and class went down. Charles 

King preached there a few times on week-nights. He started 
a church in Upper Empire, upon which George Reynolds loaned 
some money. In 1869, Reynolds took the building for the debt, 
and moved it to Georgetown, and fitted it up for a saloon and 
billiard-hall. It stood next door to Tucker Brothers' grocery- 
store, near which, in a quarrel, a man shot another "to start a 
graveyard," as he declared; but was himself hung to a tree before 
morning, while the wounded man recovered. 

The following year things began to brighten up. George 
Richardson was appointed to Empire Circuit in July, 1866. He 
began preaching regularly in Georgetown in Rev. John Cree's 
house, which stood in the lower town, where he organized a class 
appointing him the leader. Six months after, services were held 
in a hall in the upper town. Peter J. Smith, who was tall and 
slender, used to stand on the front steps of the hall, and call the 
people together for worship, blowing a "conch-shell," which gave 
forth unearthly sounds, filling all the valley and echoing from 
mountain to mountain with increasing reverberations. 



GEORGETOWN. 



The Sunday-school, which continues, was organized in Mr. 
Wood's log cabin in the spring of 1867 by P. J. Smith, James 
Reed, and James Kempton. In June following they moved into 
a hall, where the school was reorganized, John S. Reed assisting, 
when each contributed ten dollars for supplies. 

William A. Amsbury became pastor in 1867. George Murray 
in 1868. He superintended the erection of the first church edifice, 
which cost about $8,000. This was dedicated by Bishop Kings- 
ley, June 20, 1869. 

The writer, as stated above, came to Colorado in June, 1869, 
and was at the session of the Conference held in Central City. 
The first intimation he had of where he was to go was when his 
name was announced for Georgetown. On reaching the field 
he was greatly disappointed, in that it was a much better appoint- 
ment than he had expected. The "good" appointments at that 
time were few and far between. 

For the sixteen years that he had been in the ministry he 
had known little else than revival work. His whole being was 
full of it, and he found it quite difficult to adapt himself to any 
other. 

There was a membership, then, of only forty-six, with four 
probationers and four local preachers. The congregation was an 
exacting one, many of them collegiates. The church-building 
had a heavy debt hanging over it. 

God gave him a message, and he delivered it to the best of 
his ability without fear or favor, looking only for Divine approval. 
That first Sabbath in Georgetown! Will it ever be forgotten? 
How his soul agonized before God in prayer for hours before 
the time of service to begin! The sweet assurance came, "My 
presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." "Lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The vic- 
tory that day was on the "Lord's side," and was accepted as a 
pledge of what was yet to come. The next Tuesday's daily had 
the following notice of this first service: 

"The new pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church preached 
his first sermon in Georgetown on Sunday last. The audience 
was large, and perhaps a little critical; but the reverend gentle- 
man talked so easily and argued so clearly that the critical were 
20 



304 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

nonplused, and all departed favorably impressed with what they 
had heard." (Colorado Miner, July 6, 1869.) 

The trustees and officers of the Church were: H. C. Chapin, 
Esq., whose home has been in Denver for years; Fred A. Clark, 
Esq., who was killed near Fair Play by a falling derrick in 1874; 
Gotlieb Kienzle, who has been a resident of Helena, Montana, 
many years; David T. Griffith, after whose brother Georgetown 
was named. He was a local deacon of tine preaching ability; 
afterward entered the traveling connection in Kansas; but soon 
retired to a business life, dying in Georgetown in 1880. 

Peter J. Smith, a local preacher, who was always loyal to 
God and the Church at all times, had a warm heart and sympa- 
thetic nature. He was actively in the Lord's work until his de- 
cease, early in 1882. His body and that of his wife lie in the 
Fort Lupton Cemetery. 

William Light was a faithful steward. He and his companion 
rest at the Riverside Cemetery, Denver. 

Carver J. Goss has also gone on before. He was, for a time, 
superintendent of the American Tunnel Company. One day he 
had a little difficulty with one of his men, who drew a revolver 
and fired at him, but missed his mark. Goss, being on horseback, 
escaped before the fellow could fire again. 

Just before dark I heard of the shooting, and hastened to his 
residence to learn the particulars, and render assistance if neces- 
sary. As I approached in the twilight, I noticed his two sons, Chet 
and Carver, mere lads, standing at the corner of the house with 
guns in their hands, but thought nothing of that, until one of them 
leveled his gun at me, saying to his brother as he did so, "Shall 
I shoot?" For a second I was dazed, and almost seemed to feel 
the shot penetrating my breast; when consciousness returned, I 
answered, "I guess not." The gun dropped, and the boys have 
always been glad that they did not shoot, — and so have I ! They 
were standing guard to protect their father, and when they saw 
me coming, supposing it was their father's assailant, were ready 
to act on the defensive. 

Easton Tindal, a class-leader, walked with God day by day, 
and, like Stephen, was "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." A 
crown adorns his brow. 



GEORGETOWN. 



James Kempton was a steward. He feared the face of no man, 
was exceedingly fond of controversy, though a good Bible-class 
teacher. He now has a charming home at Pleasant View, near 
Longmont, Colorado. 

James Stanton, a local preacher, was born in Liskard, Corn- 
wall, England, December 18, 1847. He came to America in 
April, 1869, and to Georgetown in July of the same year. He 
was converted at the age of fourteen, and licensed to preach two 
years after. He was a man of more than average natural ability,, 
and was always ready to do any work assigned him. For years 
subsequently he resided at Platteville, and was engaged in mer- 
chandising. He has still here his family home. He retired from 
business a few years since, and has been preaching for the Con- 
gregationalists at Eaton, and near Cripple Creek, Colorado. A 
very useful man, indeed. 

John Cree, a local elder, was a superior class-leader, and was 
always at his post, ready for duty. He was born in Belmont 
County, Ohio, October 31, 1810, and departed this life in Denver, 
Colorado, January 7, 1893. His death-chamber was as the ante- 
room to the King's palace. Such joyous expressions as the fol- 
lowing fell from his lips from time to time: "I feel the fanning 
of the angels' wings." To his wife: "We are not our own, we 
belong to Jesus ; do not grieve : I belong to him, and you belong 
to him, and in his own good time he will bring us both home." 
"I want all my. friends to know that all is well.'" 

With much feeling he dedicated his children, grandchildren, 
and great-grandchildren to God, saying, "Jesus, they all belong 
to thee." 

He often tried to sing; but, his voice failing, he would finish 
the stanza by repeating the remainder. The following are from 
these selections of song: 

"Take my poor heart, and let it be 
Forever closed to all but Thee." 

"What is this that steals across my breast? Is it death? 
If this he death, I soon shall be 
From every pain and sorrow free; 
I shall the King of Glory see, — 
All is well, all is well." 



306 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



At the very last he said: "It is growing lighter and more 
light. Glory to God, I feel the breezes from the heavenly land! 
It is just a step over." 

William A. Amsbury, a local elder of good preaching ability, 
was formerly a member of the Nebraska Conference, where he 
had done effective work for several years. In 1866-7, ne preached 
at Central City; was transferred to the Colorado Conference in 
1867, and appointed to Georgetown; located in 1868, and en- 
gaged in mining enterprises at Georgetown. A few years after, 
he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and traveled 
in the active work there until 1885, when he returned to his 
mother Church, entering the West Nebraska Conference, where 
he was engaged in the pastorate two years, when he was placed 
on the Sidney, afterward North Platte, District. As he was 
closing a term of six successful years he was killed by the acci- 
dental discharge of his revolver, on a train, September 11, 1893. 

After six weeks' study of the situation in this new pastorate, 
the writer decided it was his duty to speak on "The Proper Ob- 
servance of the Sabbath.'' There was no uncertain sound about 
that message. Things were called by their right names. There 
was no mincing of matters in any of his declarations. A few were 
displeased, while many others were greatly delighted. The gos- 
pel preached from a warm heart becomes "a savor of life unto 
life, or of death unto death," depending upon how it is received. 
God gave his servant favor in the sight of the people, on account 
of his fidelity to the truth. The people knew just where he stood 
on all vital questions relating to their eternal interests. The fol- 
lowing winter the pastor held a protracted-meeting for two 
months, preaching every night but seven. A gracious revival 
was the result; nearly forty souls converted, and quite a number 
entering the rest of faith — the haven of "perfect love." 

A few incidents illustrative of pastoral work at that time may 
not be out of place. One Sabbath evening after Church I was 
invited to go down into the lower part of the town to marry a 
couple. Taking James McLaughlin, one of my stewards, with 
me, we proceeded to the designated locality. The house was a 
two-room board cabin. A keg of beer, surmounted by a tin 



GEORGETOWN. 



307 



dipper, stood on a chair behind the door. The guests were re- 
quested to help themselves freely, which, judging from their looks 
and actions, they had done. We were urged to participate, but 
politely and firmly refused. The lady, about to be married, had 
just arrived on the evening coach, having come from Cornwall, 
England. When the bride and groom appeared, she was neatly 
attired, while his trousseau consisted simply of a white shirt, pants, 
belt, and slippers. 

On another occasion I married a couple of elderly people. 
They were two hundred miles from their contemplated home, 
and their funds were low. They must have a sack of flour, some 
bacon, and other necessary articles to begin housekeeping. He 
could not spare one cent for the preacher; but would pay him 
some time. Two years afterward he returned, and gave me a 
handsome fee. 

By an explosion in a tunnel two men were killed, and their 
bodies, badly bruised, were brought to the church for a joint 
funeral service. One of these left a widow and three boys to 
mourn his loss. After a time she married again, which resulted 
unhappily, when she sought and obtained a divorce on the ground 
of cruelty. Six months or more had passed away, when this 
divorced husband came for me to remarry them. After consult- 
ing with her, in his presence, I found she had agreed to marry him 
again only on one condition, that I thought it best and would 
perform the ceremony. Instantly I replied, "If you throw the 
responsibility on me, I will never marry you to any man," and 
I did not. He was very angry, and said some unpleasant things. 
Twenty-one years afterward I met him on the street in Denver, 
when he, recalling the incident, which had slipped out of my 
mind, thanked me with tears in his eyes for not complying with 
his wishes on that uneventful night. 

One morning three men came staggering up to my door. 
The spokesman, though his tongue was thick and heavy, stam- 
mered out in broken accents: "When we came from the 'Isle of 
Man' there were four of us ; one is dead, and we wish to give him 
a 'decent put-in-way,' so we can write it 'ome." Which meant 
a Christian burial. 

Just four weeks from that day two of the same company re- 



3 o8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



turned for me to attend the funeral of the one who had done the 
talking before. They were well under the influence of liquor. 
Some time afterward the fourth one came nineteen miles for me 
to preach the funeral sermon of the third man in that group of 
four. Who attended the fourth man's funeral, if dead, I never 
knew. 

One stormy night I was called to see a man dying with the 
''black tongue" — bad whisky. The physician told them he would 
die before morning. At once they sent for the preacher to get 
him ready for eternity. I read many of the precious promises 
of the Bible to him, pointed him to Christ, the Savior of sinners, 
and prayed with him. An hour after, his body lay stiff in death. 
The dying hour is a poor time to prepare for eternity; the best 
time to begin is now, without a moment's delay. 

To be routed out during the hours of the night to visit the 
sick and the dying, was no unusual thing. Men and women, who 
never thought of the minister, or of the future, except to curse 
the one and make light of the other, finding themselves standing 
on the threshold of eternity, would become alarmed at their 
moral condition, and immediately send for the preacher to come 
and pray for them. It is a great satisfaction now, after more 
than a quarter of a century has rolled away, to think that I never 
refused one of these calls, no matter when or where. The latter 
was not always in the most reputable localities. 

The church stood about three hundred feet from the base 
of the nearly perpendicular mountain, and the preacher's resi- 
dence was about half-way between them. 

At that time cord-wood was bringing five dollars for a small 
load. The times were hard, for "Burlah had not yet struck it." 
We could not afford to buy at such prices. Fuel was needed at 
both places. There was plenty up yonder on the mountain in 
sight. How to get it down, was the question. Some one said, 
"Let us make a wood-bee, and invite everybody to come." It 
was accordingly done. A goodly number came with their axes, 
clambered up the steep mountain side, felled the trees, and sent 
them down the natural wood-slide, of a thousand feet or more. 
Before night there was wood enough to supply the church and 
parsonage for over two years. 



GEORGETOWN. 



309 



One wintry, windy night the Barton House, the leading hotel, 
was burned. Many laughable incidents occurred. The writer 
saw a guest, in feeble health, sitting on a rock watching the 
burning building, with a pair of drawers wrapped tightly around 
his neck to prevent taking cold, having left his pantaloons, with 
all his valuables, in his room to be consumed by the fire. 

Forest fires were quite common, and would burn for days, 
unless put out by the rain, or stopped because that particular 
piece of timber had been burned over. Such a fire was con- 
suming the forest on both sides of the road, above where Silver 
Plume now stands. A teamster was caught in this, as the fire 
swept down the mountains on either side of him. What was to 
be done? He did not dare to go ahead, for his wagon was loaded 
with powder; and he could not retreat, as the flame had closed 
in behind him. To remain in that little open place in the timber 
would be death in a few minutes, for the heat was becoming in- 
tense. He unhitched his team, jumped astride one of them, led 
the other, abandoned his load, and fled through the tongues of 
flame to a place of safety. Soon there was an explosion that 
shook the mountains. Not a vestige of that wagon was ever 
found, save a few scraps of iron. 

On Thanksgiving-day, 1869, a terrific wind-storm swept the 
mountain heights, and tore down through the canons with great 
force, uprooting trees, unroofing buildings, and carrying others 
entirely away. It was not a steady blow, but came in gusts and 
whirls a minute or two apart, so strong that a man could not 
stand without holding to something, or falling on the ground and 
clinging to a stump or rock. The gentlemen who lived next to 
us discovered that his house was weaving, and hastened out just 
in time to see the dwelling lifted from its foundation and vanish. 
An hour or more after, having another small house across the 
gulch, he concluded to go over to it, nail up the doors and win- 
dows, and make it secure. This done, he stepped out to the gate, 
and seized hold of a post just as one of those terrific whirls came, 
and picked up that house as if it had been a feather, carrying it 
away, so that not a fragment was ever found. 

A nine-year-old girl was killed by a piece of timber, which 
struck her on the head as she was fleeing for safety. 



3IO ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN, 

A colporteur, who was selling religious books and Bibles, 
called at one of the best-looking houses in town, without knowing 
the character of its inmates. He learned that they had no Bible, 
and, as they refused to buy, he offered to give them one. Then 
said the well-dressed lady of the house: "The Bible would destroy 
my business. I could not permit it to lie on my stand." He bade 
them "good-day," and left. 

For a time I preached at Empire on Tuesday evenings. It 
was six miles around the road; but only two over the "Pass," 
which was crossed by a mere Indian trail, very narrow and dan- 
gerous. It led along the steep sides of a mountain, over the top 
of a precipice, and under shelving rocks. In some places, if a 
misstep was' made, a plunge of hundreds of feet would follow, 
resulting in certain death on the sharp, craggy rocks below. 
This had been demonstrated several times by animals, as their 
mangled bodies, lying at the base of the mountain, silently 
affirmed. 

A young man, who was happily converted ten years before 
in one of my meetings, presented me with a hickory cane of his 
own make, with a bent handle, not unlike a shepherd's crook. 
This I usually carried when tramping about the mountains. 
After preaching at Lower Empire one wintry night, on my re- 
turn by starlight, when in the scattering timber on the top of the 
"Pass" I lost the trail. Loose snow had blown in and hardened 
into quite a crust after I passed over in the afternoon. I became 
somewhat bewildered, and, before I was aware of any danger, 
my feet flew from under me, and I slid toward the edge of a cliff 
over which the snow was hanging. For a moment or two I 
thought my time had come. Just before I reached that fearful 
precipice I thrust my cane through the crust. It held, and that 
alone saved me from making the awful leap. The edge of the 
cliff was not my length away. After gathering strength I dug 
places for my hands and feet in the crust, crept back, found the 
trail, and reached home safely about midnight, thankful that 
things had been no worse. Never after did I attempt to cross 
that pass by starlight. A good wagon road has been built at 
great expense over it since that time. 

During the last Conference year the Church debt was nearly 



GEORGETOWN. 



311 



wiped out, a new organ procured, and a thousand-pound bell 
secured and hung in the belfry, January 13, 1872. This was to 
have been rung the following morning for the first time, to sum- 
mon the people to church. It was rung; but at a much earlier 
hour than was anticipated, and for a different purpose: its tones 
rang out to call the people to witness the destruction by fire of 
the "Stuart Reduction Works." 

Thomas R. Sheer, son of Henry Sheer, of the Baltimore Con- 
ference, became their pastor in 1872; but remained only three 
months. R. h. Harford supplied the Church until Conference 
of 1874. C. W. Blodgett, 1874-5. In 1876 W. A. Dotson was 
appointed, but remained only a short time — D. H. Snowden filled 
the vacancy. O. h. Fisher, 1877-9. While he was pastor the 
church-building was enlarged. John Wilson, 1880; H. S. Hilton, 
1881; C. L. Tibby, 1882; T. A. Uzzell, 1883-4. During his pas- 
torate the church was removed to a new site, on account of the 
railroad crossing the lot. John Harrington, 1885; S. A. Winsor, 
1886 and 1888; D. W. Calfee, 1887, who remained but a little 
while— the year was filled out by H. C. Scripps; W. P. Rhodes, 
1889-90; William Osburn, 1891 ; W. L. Bailey, 1892-4; W. I. 
Taylor, 1895; I. F. McKay, 1896. 




The Railroad Loop above Georgetown, and 
Torry's Peak in the distance. 



IX. 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE 
AT PUEBLO IN 1870. 

Our "outfit" consisted of an old canvas-covered wagon, that 
had crossed the Plains nearly ten years before, and was drawn by 
two of the long-eared tribe, small of stature. "Bet" was the 
freest. "Ned" had to be encouraged a little, now and then, with 
a whip, except at about meal-time; yet he was a mule for all that. 

In the culinary department was a camp-kettle, coffee and 
tea pots, tin plates, cups and saucers, canned fruits, lobsters, 
oysters, jellies, and a supply of staple groceries. A Sibley tent 
and suitable bedding completed our living equipment. Our 
armament consisted of a Henry rifle, a double-barreled shotgun, 
and two of Colt's navy revolvers, with the necessary ammunition. 
There were two objects in thus arming ourselves: first, to pro- 
cure our meat along the way; second, and by no means least, to 
defend ourselves against an Indian attack, to which we were 
liable; for we were determined to sell our lives, if need be, as 
dearly as possible. Thus equipped, we started for a Methodist 
Annual Conference in the Territory of Colorado, June 14, 1870. 
Our party consisted of W. B. Case, owner and driver of the team, 
now residing at Grand Junction, Colorado; P. C. Castle, now liv- 
ing in a desirable home at "Pleasant View," near Longmont, 
Colorado; the writer, wife and son. 

We had been unavoidably delayed, and did not get off until 
two o'clock P. M., on Tuesday. We halted long enough at 
Idaho Springs to take a bath at the Soda Springs. Two miles 
farther we camped for the night, having made fifteen miles that 
afternoon. Two of the company slept in the wagon, and the oth- 
ers in a board shanty, without windows. All arose early the next 
morning, and, squatted on the rocks near the camp-fire, partook 
of a hastily-prepared breakfast. At seven o'clock we start again. 
The road takes us, as on yesterday, along the banks of Clear 
Creek, whose foaming, sparkling waters go dashing by, with 

312 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



313 



towering mountains on either side. About ten o'clock we leave 
the narrow valley of the creek, and ascend Floyd Hill, which is 
four miles long. A short distance beyond the summit we camp 
in a cottonwood grove for our noon lunch. 

Down this Floyd Hill the writer once rode, beside the driver, 
at a furious rate. On the top of the coach were three or four 
portly English gentlemen, who complained of the slow speed 
of the coach all the way up from Golden City. This continuous 
fault-finding had become quite monotonous; but the driver paid 
no attention to them. 

On reaching the top of that steep, four-mile hill, the driver 
halted, got down and examined every buckle, the bits, lines, 
traces, collars, and then looked the coach over, particularly the 
bolts of the brakes. It took him several minutes to do all this; 
but he seemed in no hurry, though the Eastern passengers were 
grumbling about the delay. When all was ready, with his right 
foot on the brake, and the ribbons properly adjusted, he gave 
one crack of the whip, when his four horses started on a keen 
run down the long hill. The road was good; but there were 
curves, and several cuts where, on the right side, the ground was 
level with, or a little above, the top of the coach. Our English 
cousins were alarmed, and begged the driver to slow up; but 
he heeded not their entreaties. On and on, down and down, we 
go at breakneck speed. In rounding some of the curves the 
coach half careened over. The passengers were wild with fear. 
As the coach passed close to a high bank, one of the gentlemen 
on top leaped off, fell, rolled over and over; at the next bank the 
others jumped, and such an upsetting as those men received, 
falling over and upon each other; the driver never stopped to 
pick up his stray passengers, until the foot of the hill had been 
reached. Here he waited a half hour or more for the gentlemen 
to overtake us. When they hobbled down to the coach, the per- 
spiration was flowing freely, and their bruises needed some atten- 
tion. The grumblers were all dead; yet we had not lost a passen- 
ger! Moral: Coach-drivers know their own business, and it is 
best never to find fault with them. 

At the head of Mt. Vernon Canon we have a good view of 
the Plains. Land and sky seemed to kiss each other in the far 



314 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

east. Down this gradual slope of seven miles the author once 
rode at a rapid gait. It was almost impossible to breathe on ac- 
count of the dust, which filled the coach as well as the lungs, eyes, 
and ears of the passengers. The driver was making good time. 
The occupants of the coach were complaining, when Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Thompson, who gave to the town of Longmont the use of 
''Library Hall," sang that familiar verse: 

"This is the way I long have sought, 
And mourned because I found it not." 

The surroundings were such that all were convulsed with 
laughter. There were no more complaints. 

At the bottom of the canon was the little town of Mt. Ver- 
non. Here the road turns southward behind the "Hogback," 
crosses Bear Creek on a straw-covered pole bridge, just below 
where Morrison now stands, and on over the present site of Fort 
Logan. We crossed the Platte River on what was then known 
as Brown's Bridge. From one of the stringers of this bridge 
was hung a man the day before for horse-stealing. 

That evening we camped eight miles south of Denver, at the 
mouth of a little creek, near which gold was found in 1859-60. 
The next forenoon we drove down to Denver for some necessary 
articles, including a spring seat, which cost $8. Returning to 
camp, we lunch, pack, and are off southward, passing up the 
Platte Valley, along which cultivated farms and beautiful groves 
abound. Having taken a short cut for Plumb Creek over a 
dim track, we got lost, and wandered about on the open prairie 
for a while; but finally reached the junction of East and West 
Plumb Creeks at dusk, where we pitched our tent in a secluded 
willow-grove under a bluff. What added not a little to our anxi- 
ety, when picketing out the mules, was the finding of a tent-pole 
which had lately been used by the bloodthirsty Indians, for whom 
we had no use just then. Not daring to build a fire for fear of 
discovery, we partook of a cold lunch, and slept soundly, not- 
withstanding our little surprise. The next day our trail led up 
the valley of West Plumb Creek, near the base of the mountains. 
That afternoon we drove under a tree, to which a criminal had 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 315 

been hung not long before. All day we kept a sharp lookout 
for Indians, carrying our weapons in hand ready to fire; for near 
this route they had recently raided the country, burning houses, 
scalping innocent women and children, spoiling their goods, and 
stealing the stock. 

On the summit of the watershed, between the Platte and Ar- 
kansas Rivers, was a beautiful lake, now named for General 
Palmer, on the bosom of which several dozen wild ducks were 
floating. We drove along the west side of it, where the railway 
station appears in the accompanying cut. 

The lake then had two outlets, one at the north and the other 
at the south, just east of where "Glen Park," the Rocky Moun- 
tain Chautauqua Assembly grounds, are now located. 

Here we strike Monument Creek, down which we drove for 
seven miles, and spent the night with Levi Welty, Esq., who, at 
that time, was a dairyman. Promising to stop on our return, we 
left early the next morning, and reached Colorado City just at the 
close of the four o'clock service, conducted by the bishop. They 
had worried no little over our delay, fearing that we had been 
scalped by some wandering band of Indians. As we drove up, 
the bishop came out to the wagon, and, with tears in his eyes, 
declared he "never was so glad to see anybody in his life." 

The majority of the preachers were then living north of the 
Divide. No railroad had yet reached Denver, and none had 
started therfrom in any direction. The journey from Denver 
to Pueblo had to be made by team. 

The bishop's party had preceded us, and consisted of B. T. 
Vincent and wife, G. H. Adams and wife, R. J. Van Valkenberg 
and wife, G. S. Allen, J. L. Dyer, — each with his own conveyance. 
Besides these was an ambulance, furnished by Ex-Governor 
Elbert, drawn by a team from the livery-stable, for which they 
jointly paid five dollars per day. In this rode the bishop, Chap- 
lain McCabe, his wife, and son John, a mere lad, who is now a 
member of the New Jersey Conference; H. D. Carroll and wife, 
from Baltimore, Md.; George Wallace, J. L. Peck; and E. C. 
Brooks, who drove the team. The bishop and others declared 
that he managed to hit the roughest places in the road. "Father" 
Dyer secured quarters for the whole party over night at a farm- 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



317 



-house. Reports of hostile Indians near were numerous. Every 
man looked well that night after his fire-arms. The second day 
out from Denver this party reached the summit of the Divide. 
G. H. Adams and wife were in the lead. Just as they came to the 
top, a cinnamon bear crossed the road a few steps in front of 
them. His business was so urgent that he did not stop to make 
a meal on human flesh. Here the bishop ordered a halt, had 
the teams ranged abreast, and called attention to the grandeur 
of the scenery, as they looked off down the valley of the Monu- 
ment to that of the Fountain, and eastward; then westward, 
where mountain on mountain piled, rising into the very 
clouds. 

When all were filled with the beauty and grandeur of the 
scene, the bishop said, "Now, Brother 'Van,' lead us in singing, 

'Come all ye saints to Pisgah's mountain,' " etc. 

After that was sung, Chaplain McCabe, now Bishop, with his 
melodious voice, led off with that grand old hymn of Charles 
Wesley: 

"And can it be that I should gain 
An interest in the Savior's blood?" — Hymnal, 422. 

We expected to join them en route; but they went up Cherry 
Creek and we up Plumb, hence did not meet until as above 
stated. Our home over the Sabbath was with T. Girton, Esq., 
who resided in a three-room log house, two miles northeast of the 
town. His herd of cattle roamed over the ground where the 
beautiful city of Colorado Springs now stands. Little did we 
think that such a charming town would ever adorn the locality 
where prairie-dogs then sported at will. 

B. T. Vincent preached on Sabbath morning, and L. Hart- 
sough at night. J. L. Peck, Chaplain McCabe, Gay S. Allen, 
B. T. Vincent, G. H. Adams, George Murray, and Bishop Ames 
addressed the Sunday-school in the afternoon. 

Monday morning all were off to see the sights, the Garden 
of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, and Soda Springs, now Manitou. The 
only sign of civilization was one unoccupied log cabin, with a 
dirt roof and floor. 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



319 



The springs gurgle up at the north base of Pike's Peak, which 
rises eight thousand feet above them, and fourteen thousand two 
hundred and sixteen feet above sea-level. There was not even 
a decent trail to its summit. Now the ascent can be made by a 
cog-wheel railroad, by carriage, on horseback, or, if one prefers, 
on foot. 

Sitting on the rocks near the springs, we ate our lunch, which 
had been prepared by the good people of Colorado City. 




EAST ENTRANCE OF THE GARDEN OF THE GODS. 



North of the eastern entrance to the Garden of the Gods 
stands a red-sandstone rock, nearly perpendicular on all sides, 
about two hundred feet high. Within is a cathedral cave, into 
which a number of us crept through a low passage-way, while 
the bishop and a few others remained without. A tallow T candle 
and a few torches were our only light. The chaplain led in 
singing, with delightful effect, 

"Rock of ages, cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in thee." 

On resuming our journey southward, besides those already 
named, there were added to our party George Murray and W. F. 
Warren. The old "Santa Fe Trail" was hard and smooth, and fol- 
lowed down the east side of the Fountain. The day was perfect, 
such as only the Rocky Mountain region can produce. All 
reached Pueblo in due season, and were cordially greeted by the 
pastor, O. P. McMains. He and his people had been hard at 
work building a new church. The unplastered adobe walls were 
up, roof on, floor down, and windows in. Rough boards and 
21 



320 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



chairs were used as seats. In this unfinished building the Con- 
ference was called to order on Thursday morning, June 23, 1870, 
by the bishop. John L. Dyer conducted the devotional exer- 
cises. Thirteen members answered to their names. The bishop 
announced the transfer of Thomas Harwood from the West Wis- 
consin Conference; L. Hartsough, G. M. Pierce, and J. R. Moore, 
from the Central New York Conference; W. D. Chase and F. C. 
Millington, from the Black River Conference. 

O. P. McMains was elected secretary, and W. F. Warren 
assistant. L. Hartsough, E. J. Rice, C. C. McCabe, E. C. 
Brooks, and G. S. Allen were introduced. C. H. Kirkbride was 
granted a location at his own request. Charles King withdrew 
from the connection. Edward C. Brooks was admitted on trial. 

At five o'clock, Saturday afternoon, the Conference assembled 
to close its business, listen to the bishop's fatherly counsel, and 
hear the appointments read: 



DENVER DISTRICT— B. T. Vincent, P. E. 

Laramie, Cheyenne, and Greeley. G. H. Adams and E. C. Brooks. 

Denver J. L. Peck. 

Central..... W. D. Chase. 

Black Hawk and Nevada George Wallace. 

Georgetown I. H. Beardsley. 

Idaho and Empire To be supplied. 

Golden City F. C. Millington. 

Divide Circuit John L. Dyer. 

Ralston and Clear Creek G W. Swift. 

Boulder and Valmont Supplied by G. S. Allen (for a short 

time; then by R. W. Bosworth.) 

Burlington Circuit Supplied by R. J. Van Valkenberg. 

Big Thompson and La Poudre J. R. Moore. 

Platte Circuit Supplied by G. S. Allen. 



ARKANSAS DISTRICT — George Murray, P. E., 
and Pastor at Canon City. 

Colorado City ...W. F. Warren. 

Pueblo O. P. McMains. 

Fairplay and Granite Jesse Smith. 

Xa Junta and Elizabethtown, N. M Thomas Harwood. 

Trinidad Supplied by E. J. Rice. 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



321 



A moment after the bishop had announced O. P. McMains 
returned to Pueblo, he sprang to his feet in great excitement, and 
cried out: "Bishop, this is tyranny. I can not stand it, and I 
will not. I won't go back." The bishop turned around to him, 
and quietly said: "Do n't be hasty, Brother McMains. Come and 
see me, and we will talk the matter over together." On leaving 
the church "Mac" stepped between Brothers Brooks and Swift,, 
and taking each by the arm, said, "Boys, I tell you that old 
Bishop Ames is a tyrant." 

He, however, took tea with the bishop, and was closeted with 
him for a couple of hours. He came late that evening to 
the church. After the service he said to the same brethren: 
"Why, boys, did you know Bishop Ames is an angel. Why, he 
just talked with me so kindly, and prayed with me and promised 
to help me. I am going on with my work." What a difference 
the state of one's mind makes! 

The Sabbath was a day of power and riches of grace to many 
souls. John L. Dyer preached at 7.30 A. M., from "He calleth 
for thee." At nine A. M. a remarkable love-feast was held. At 
10.30 the bishop preached from 1 John v, 10: "He that believeth 
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." The writer 
has never forgotten one remark, made as the tears were coursing 
down his cheeks, "Brethren, I carry a pocket edition of this re- 
ligion in my heart." At three o'clock there was a grand Sunday- 
school rally, and at five P. M. George Wallace preached to the 
campers in the grove on the bottoms. In the evening Chaplain 
McCabe preached from 2 Corinthians iv, 18; subject, "The Un- 
seen Things." His sermon and singing captivated all hearts. 
W r . F. Warren was ordained deacon and E. J. Rice local elder by 
the bishop. 

Arrangements had been made for the bishop to preach on 
his return in a little log schoolhouse, which stood about two 
miles south of where the town of Monument now stands. The 
house was very much crowded. The bishop, not feeling well, 
sat in the splint-bottom chair, and discoursed to them from the 
First Psalm for over an hour. The writer preached in the same 
place on the following Sabbath, and heard of the bishop's re- 
markable sermon. 



322 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Our Homeward Trip. — Monday morning, June 27, 1870, 
we left Pueblo on our return by the way of Canon City, which 
added forty miles to the one hundred and seventy already trav- 
eled. 

The morning was delightful. The sun shone brightly. The 
sky was overcast by an occasional cloud. Our road led up the 
left bank of the Arkansas River. Herds of cattle were feeding 
here and there along the way. An occasional wheat-field waved 
its golden grain in the gentle breezes. Eight miles up, we cross 
on what is known as the "Natural Bridge." Here the stream 
is compressed into a narrow gorge of perhaps thirty feet in width; 
the rocks on either side are some twenty feet or more above the 
seething, raging, foaming torrent. Two flat rocks projected 
toward each other so near as almost to touch. Over this narrow 
space poles had been thrown, and across these were smaller ones 
covered with brush and straw. On this seemingly frail structure 
we cross, pass a few cultivated fields, ascend to the table-lands, 
and camp at night in a log schoolhouse on the west side of 
Frazier Creek. At noon of the second day we re-cross the river 
to Canon City. The buildings were mostly constructed of stone. 
The city stands close to the base of the mountains, and at the 
mouth of the Grand Canon of the Arkansas River, which pre- 
sents one of the most wonderful scenes of sublimity that na- 
ture offers. The river, with an average fall of fifty feet to the 
mile, runs between stupendous walls of .rock, from one thousand 
to twenty-six hundred feet in height. 

"Like a steed, in frantic fit, 
That flings the froth from curb and bit, 
The rain chafes its waves to spray 
O'er every rock that bars its way, 
Till foam-globes on its eddies ride 
Thick as the schemes of human pride." 

Pike's hoary peak looms up on the north, mountains are on 
the west and south, while the broad valley of the Arkansas River 
opens out to the eastward. Near the city are found beds of 
bituminous coal and inexhaustible stone-quarries. Close to these 
the Colorado Penitentiary is located. That evening the writer 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 323 

preached in the old stone church to an attentive congregation, 
on "Christian Union." Here we found very pleasant entertain- 
ment with a Brother Richardson and family. Our route home- 
ward was around the east base of Pike's Peak. 

The first night out from Canon found us on the bank of 
Turkey Creek. What added not a little to the unpleasantness 
of the situation was, that the very spot selected by us for a camp 
had been only recently occupied by a band of Indians. Some 
of the lodge-poles were there; the feet and bones of wild animals 
were scattered about, and a scalp had been left dangling from 
the limb of a small tree. What could we do? Night was coming 
on. How far it might be to a house or water we did not know. 
We had seen but three houses since leaving Canon City. Supper 
was eaten, mules picketed, guns and revolvers loaded, and 
prayers said, wdien we turned in and slept unmolested. 

The next forenoon we passed numbers of cattle and horses 
feeding on the luxurious grasses along the way, fat as seals. 
We came to a large spring of cool, clear water, flowing from the 
base of a knoll, on which were some log buildings. Near by, 
under the shade of a pine-tree, sat an aged gentleman. After the 
usual salutations, the writer accosted him with, "From whence 
came you?" "Way down on the Arkansaw River, in Arkansaw." 
"Are there any settlers near you?" "The nearest are seven miles 
off. They are getting entirely too thick. I am going to move 
on." "You are a stockman, I should judge, from your sur- 
roundings?" "Y-e-s." "How many head of horses and of cattle 
have you?" "We have about four hundred horses; but I do not 
know how many cattle — there are hundreds." Cattle men never 
know how much stock they own. If they did, it might make a 
difference with their taxes! He had a wife, son, daughter, and 
son-in-law. He gave us to understand that he "had nothing 
to do with politics and religion." We drove on. Night found 
us at our old stopping-place near Colorado City. Saturday 
evening, July 2d, according to promise, we stopped with our 
old friend, Levi Welty, Esq., on Monument Creek, near which 
place the writer preached twice the next day, and addressed the 
Sunday-school. On Monday, July 4th, there was a Sunday- 



324 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



school "picnic" in Monument Park, so named because of the 
singular monuments found there. 

The day was pleasantly spent in speech-making, vocal and 
instrumental music, and in social intercourse. The attendance 
was large, and the abundant dinner could not well be surpassed. 

After tarrying somewhat by the way, we reached our own 
home in Georgetown exactly one month from the day we left. 
The people had supper prepared at the parsonage, and gave us 
a cordial welcome. 

We had no difficulty in keeping our larder supplied with 
prairie-chickens and rabbits during the whole trip of three hun- 
dred and eighty miles. 

The New Members, and What Became oe Them. — W. D. 
Chase filled the pulpit of the Church in Central City for nearly 
three years, and was then transferred back to Northern New 
York Conference, whence he came. 

J. R. Moore remained only three years; two on the Big 
Thompson and Poudre; one at Trinidad, where he completed an 
adobe church, begun by his predecessor, Rev. E. J. Rice, de- 
ceased, who also donated the ground on which it stood. He 
was supernumerated in 1873, but took work in New Mexico. In 
1876 he was transferred back to his old Conference. 

G. M. Pierce was sent as a missionary to Utah, where he re- 
mained for several years, though he was transferred to the Cen- 
tral New York Conference in 1870, and then to the Rocky Moun- 
tain Conference in 1872. Pie is now laboring on the Pacific 
Coast, in the Northwest. 

L. Hartsough had been on the so-called Dakota District the 
previous year, supplying Cheyenne and Laramie City. At the 
last-named place he began a church enterprise, which was com- 
pleted by his successor, E. C. Brooks, the following year. He 
was transferred to the Central New York Conference in 1870; 
re-transferred to the Dakota Conference subsequently, where 
he has done effective work for the Master. 

Frankein Ceylon Mielington was born March 18, 1841, 
in Nicholville, St. Lawrence County, New York. He took an 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



325 



academic course at the St. Lawrence Academy, at Potsdam; 
was converted at West Potsdam when fourteen years of age; 
licensed to exhort by Rev. J. C. Corbin, and to preach by Rev. 
J. H. Lamb. Plis call to the ministry was unquestionable. He 
was admitted on trial in the Northern New York Conference 
in April, 1864. Served Constable, Colton, North Potsdam, Mas- 
sena, and Lawrenceville; was married to Miss Adaline Sheldon, 
April 13, 1865. In April, 1870, Bishop Ames transferred him 
to the Colorado Conference, and appointed him to Golden City 
in June following. He and his family rode into Denver on the 
24th of that month, on the first 
passenger train entering the city, 
the Denver Pacific Railroad being 
the first to connect Denver by rail 
with the rest of the world. 

In the early spring of 1871 the 
Chicago Colony laid out the town- 
site of Longmont, on the north 
bank of the St. Vrain, to which he 
was appointed that year. Here 
he started a church enterprise in 
the spring of 1872, and a society in 
Erie the previous January. The 
church-building was a two-story 
frame, and stood on Main Street, 
just south of Third Avenue. One 

1 F- C. MII,L,INGTON. 

room was for Church services, and 

the other for rental purposes. This property was used for twelve 
years, when it was sold, and the present beautiful church erected. 

Another new town, laid out just east of Colorado City, once 
the Capital of the Territory, was christened "Colorado Springs," 
though six miles east of the Springs proper. To these two places 
he was sent in 1872. His predecessor, W. F. Warren, had or- 
ganized a class and a Sunday-school, and had also built a small 
church. This was enlarged, so that two years later he reported 
a church worth $2,500. In 1875 he was stationed at Saint James, 
West Denver, where he built a four-room brick parsonage free 
of debt. He also completed the "Evans Memorial Chapel," 




326 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



raising the funds by selling lots belonging to Ex-Governor 
Evans, and applying the same to the finishing of the church. 

Three years later found him pushing another parsonage en- 
terprise of five rooms at California Street, which was completed, 
paid for, and occupied within thirty days. During two of his 
three years here he had a Sunday-school in the Ashland school 
building in North Denver, and preached there regularly. 

Then came three years and a half as presiding elder on the 
"Northern District," which he served with marked ability and 
success. This he resigned to take the financial agency of the 



rection of the just in Riverside Cemetery, and his soul rests 
with God. 

Brother Millington was a good preacher of the gospel, a 
conscientious Christian gentleman, and a thorough business man 
in Church affairs. 

Thomas Harwood was born November 16, 1829, in Caroline 
County, Maryland; was converted in 1839; united with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church at Thomas Chapel, Delaware, 1841; 
licensed to preach in Michigan, 1855; ordained local deacon by 




University of Denver, which po- 
sition he held for something over 
two years. The crowning monu- 
ment of his life-work is Univer- 
sity Park, which he was largely 
instrumental in securing and 
platting. These grounds over- 
look the city, yet are free from 
its din and smoke, and only a 
short ride, by two car lines, from 
its center. 



T. HARWOOD. 



His last earthly appointment 
was "associate pastor" of Trinity 
Church, which continued only 
five months, when he died sud- 
denly, from neuralgia of the 
heart, on December 27, 1887. 
His body awaits the resur- 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



327 



Bishop Levi Scott, September 9, i860; elder by Bishop Ames, 
September 27, 1868. He served as a soldier in Company G, 
25th Wisconsin Volunteers, for eighteen months, 1862-3,. and 
chaplain of the same for eighteen months more, 1863-4-5. 

He held license as a local preacher from 1855 to i860. Then 
joined the Northwest Wisconsin Conference on trial ; was dropped 
in 1862, because he went into the army; was readmitted on 
trial in 1865 ; received into full connection in the West Wisconsin 
Conference in 1868; transferred to the Colorado Conference in 
September, 1869, and appointed to La Junta, New Mexico, where 
he began the study of the Spanish 
language; reappointed in 1870. 
From 1872 to 1884 ne was super- 
intendent of the "New Mexico 
Mission," during which time he 
had charge of the English and 
Spanish work, organizing 
churches both among Americans 
and Mexicans. 

In 1885, the mission work 
having been divided, he was ap- 
pointed superintendent of "New 
Mexico Spanish Missions," with 
eleven assistants. In 1893, he, 
with twenty assistants, was trans- 
ferred from us, and organized 
into a "Spanish Mission Confer- 

„ „„ , ^ , , , MRS. E. J. HARWOOD. 

ence. What wonders God hath 

wrought among the people of New Mexico, English and Spanish, 
through the efficient labors of Brother and Sister Harwood, as 
they taught, preached, and lived the gospel of the Son of God 
in their presence! 

Mrs. Emily Jane: Harwood, his wife, has faithfully and 
efficiently had part in the mission work of New Mexico. They 
began here with nothing, not having even a knowledge of the lan- 
guage. All has been dug up, after the language was acquired, 
out of that hard, sterile, Roman Catholic soil, in the last twenty- 




328 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



six years. They now have 35 traveling and local preachers, 
2,500 members and probationers, 20 church-buildings, 20 parson- 
ages and 40 Sunday-schools, with 1,000 scholars. The Church 
property is valued at $50,000 in the Spanish work alone. The 
English work amounts to very nearly as much more. To God 
belongs the praise. 

But for the day and Sunday schools this could never have 
been accomplished. Sister Harwood began teaching in Wisconsin 
at eighteen years of age, and ranked as a first-class teacher be- 
fore coming to New Mexico. She taught in Tiptonville, N. M., 
for fifteen years, then in Socorro several years, and then in Albu- 
querque, covering a period of almost twenty-seven years. From 
these schools have gone out scholars into nearly all parts of New 
Mexico, Arizona, and adjacent localities. 

Dr. Harwood has assisted in these schools all that was possi- 
ble, without neglecting the other work which he was required 
to do. When he looks back, and calls to mind the many young 
men and women, now married, settled, and doing well, who are 
making good citizens, filling responsible positions as merchants, 
clerks, officials in different places; others in the medical, legal, 
or ministerial professions — places which they never could have 
filled only for these schools — he feels that their work in New 
Mexico has not been in vain. 

It is only just to Sister Harwood to say that in all these years 
of teaching in these mission schools she has not received one cent 
as salary from any source. When she taught in the public 
schools, as she has ocasionally done, she was paid, and when 
teaching in her private schools she received tuition; but in her 
Mission and Biblical schools, as at present, she has always taught 
without expense to the Church, which has sustained her husband 
for nearly twenty-seven years in his missionary labors among all 
classes in that remote region. 

The following extract describes the latest addition to the 
evangelizing forces of this Mission : 

"For the past eight or ten years the Methodist workers in 
New Mexico, and the workers in the Woman's Home Missionary 
Society throughout the country, have been planning, praying, 



HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. ' 329 

and working for a girl's industrial home, to be located in Albu- 
querque. In fact, such a Home was opened about six years ago, 
and was carried forward in a small way in rented buildings. 

"By the universal consent of the laborers, here and abroad, 
this plan was deemed inadvisable, and, after three years of earnest 
effort, was abandoned, until such time as a permanent Home 
could be erected. At that time it was hoped that this would be 
accomplished within a year. Three years of anxiety, mingled 
with hope, however, have passed, and now the building stands 
splendidly located, an ornament to the city and a monument to 
the faith and sacrifice of many friends. 

"The design of the Home is to gather in as many as may be 
practicable of the Spanish-speaking girls of New Mexico. Here 
it is hoped they may secure such training as will enable them to 
preside over practical Christian homes of their own. The Home 
is under the management of the Woman's Home Missionary 
Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

"The building, which was dedicated Sunday, March 1, 1896, 
is a beautiful brick structure, costing $6,400. The grounds, 150 
feet front by 142 feet deep, cost $625, making a total, without 
furnishings, of $7,025. Of this amount, almost all has been con- 
tributed by parties outside of Albuquerque. These contributions 
have come from all parts of the country. The largest contribu- 
tion by any one Conference Society was by the Colorado, which 
thus secured the honor of naming the Home. With a keen 
appreciation of services that have been many-fold greater than 
all others combined, they have named it in honor of the veteran 
superintendent of the Spanish work in New Mexico, and his 
devoted wife, the 'Harwood Home.' 

"To Mrs. Anna Kent, secretary of the Society for New 
Mexico and Arizona, great credit is due for the successful comple- 
tion of the building. 

"The superintendent and her assistants, Misses Apperson and 
Rodriges, are women of earnest Christian character, practical 
common sense, and wide and varied experience. Under their 
direction it is confidently expected that the school will very 
quickly attain a condition of great usefulness." 



330 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Edward C. Brooks was born in Dayton, Ohio, October 14, 
1846; joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in the spring of 
1858, at St. Paul, Minn.; was licensed to exhort in 1865, and to 
preach at Evanston, 111., in the spring of 1868; traveled "Good- 
ing's Grove Circuit,'' Rock River Conference, one year; then 
came to Colorado in the fall of 1869, and was appointed by the 
elder to fill a vacancy at Golden. During the next six months 
he built a room, 12 x 14, for a study, on the northwest corner of 
the church. In 1870 he was the junior preacher on the Laramie, 
Cheyenne, and Greeley Circuit. July 17, 1870, he preached the 

second Methodist sermon in the 
town of Greeley, and organized 
a class of seventeen members. 
Previously, on May 226., G. H. 
Adams had preached there, and 
appointed H. M. Law, a local 
preacher, class-leader, with author- 
ity to gather up all Church letters 
possible. Before either of these 
came, however, the Rev. William 
Antes had preached in that local- 
ity a number of times, in 1864-5. 

The most of his time that year 
was spent at Earamie City, com- 
pleting the church there. He was 
ordained deacon in 1871, and sent 
to Canon City. On Christmas of 
that year he held the first religious 
service, and preached the first sermon ever delivered in the Colo- 
rado Penitentiary. He officiated as chaplain during the balance 
of his pastorship in Canon, organizing a class there of thirteen 
members, all prisoners, and baptizing eight of the number. In 
1873 he was sent to the Eas Animas Circuit, one hundred and ten 
miles long and forty-five wide, where there were only fifteen 
members. He preached the first sermon in the town of West Eas 
Animas; was transferred to the South Kansas Conference in 1874, 
where he labored for several years, then transferred to the Iowa 
Conference, where he is now preaching the everlasting gospel. 




HOW WE WENT TO CONFERENCE. 



331 



At this session of the Conference, Idaho and Empire were 
left to be supplied. H. J. ShaFFner was transferred from the 
Minnesota Conference to supply that work. He preached at 
Empire, Idaho Springs, and Burgan's Schoolhouse, from Sep- 
tember 18 to October 16, 1870, when he became so great a suf- 
ferer with asthma that he had to leave the work. In Golden, 
where his family resided, he lay for a long time with acclimating 
fever, which very nearly ended his earthly career. 

In 1871 a Denver Circuit was organized, to which he was 
appointed. This embraced Arvada, West Denver, and Bennett 
Schoolhouse, which stood at the 
corner of what is now Broadway 
and Evans Avenue. These were 
his regular appointments. De- 
cember 23, 1871, he organized 
the California Street Methodist 
Episcopal Church. Up to the 
spring of 1872 he lived in Ar- 
vada, when he moved into his 
own unfinished house at the cor- 
ner of California and Twenty- 
fifth Streets, where he held the 
first prayer-meeting, June 16, 
1872, and soon after the first 
class-meeting in the same place. 
He organized the California 
Street Methodist Episcopal Sun- 
day-school, June 16, 1872, in a 
little shanty schoolhouse, owned by Judge Miller, on the corner 
of Curtis and Twenty-third Streets. 

The first quarterly-meeting was held in his house by Dr. 
B. F. Crary, presiding elder, October 14, 1872. Here he preached 
regularly from the very start until the church was erected, which 
was dedicated by Dr. Crary, November 24, 1872. The society 
then had twenty-seven members. 

He organized the West Denver Union Sunday-school into a 
Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school, June 1, 1872, which is now 
known as the St. James Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school. 




H. J. SHAFFNEK. 



332 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



He also organized a Sunday-school and society, with Dexter 
Soggs leader, in North Denver, of which Asbury Church is the 
legitimate successor. 

On March 21, 1873, his beloved companion, mother of their 
six children, three of whom had preceded her, was called to her 
glory home, shouting as she entered the valley. 

In 1874 he was sent to a new field, "Morrison and Peters- 
burg." At the former he organized a society and a Sunday- 
school. His next appointment was "West Las Animas." He 
arrived on this charge September 6, 1875, an( ^ found an old or- 
ganization with less than half a dozen members in sight; no 
house; no church-building. C. W. Bowman, Philip Landers, 
and Major Price formed a nucleus around which the organization 
was perfected. A church was then built, and dedicated by Dr. 
Crary, presiding elder, free of debt, January 23, 1876. He also 
organized the Sunday-school, and established all the usual 
agencies of Church work. 

Then followed two prosperous years as pastor at Pueblo. 
Here he added one lot to the Church property, and helped many 
souls to Christ, and received them into the Church. 

He was sent to Boulder in 1879, where he built a brick par- 
sonage of five rooms, and paid for it; to Cheyenne in 1880. Here 
God gave him a good revival, in which forty-six souls were con- 
verted and added to the Church. Asthma compelled him to 
sever his relation with this charge, and he left February 21, 1881, 
for the Pacific Coast, thus closing ten successful years in the 
Colorado Conference, which that year gave him a supernumerary 
relation. Two years after, he was transferred to the Southern 
California Conference. His home is now in Los Angeles, Cali- 
fornia, where he awaits the coming of the Son of God. 



X. 

PLEASURE SAUNTERINGS. 

Number One). — A party of fourteen, consisting of Mrs. J. 
Bowman, Miss Phebe Green, Captain William Light and wife, 
the writer and wife, with eight others, drove to the "Willow 
Grove Camp-meeting," which began September I, 1870, and 
lasted for five days. This was held in a grove on Isaac Mc- 
Broorn's farm, near the mouth of Bear Creek, northeast of the 
present site of Fort Logan, and just south of where the school- 
house now stands. 

The following-named brethren preached during the progress 
of the meeting: B. T. Vincent, presiding elder; F. C. Millington, 
G. W. Swift, W. F. Warren, Gay S. Allen, and the writer. John 
L. Dyer, having the meeting in charge, did not preach, it being 
within the bounds of his work. H. J. Shaffner, though present 
with his family, was so affected with asthma that he could not 
preach. Gay S. Allen's sermon, from "This man might have 
been set at liberty, if:" the whole audience was swayed as by 
a tempest for an hour, and the altar was soon crowded with 
penitents. The camp-meeting resulted in several conversions, 
and in the quickening of the spiritual life of believers. 

During the Sabbath services, Colorow, a noted Ute Indian 
chief, with his daughter, called to see what was going on. He 
was a solidly-built man, of perhaps two hundred pounds weight, 
was bareheaded, wore a buckskin jacket, with pantaloons and 
moccasins of the same material. The jacket and pants lacked 
about two inches of coming together, where the native hide was 
exposed. In a belt around his waist there hung two of Colt's 
navy revolvers, old style, and a long bowie-knife. 

His daughter was dressed in a well-worn buckskin suit, 
fringed here and there, with panties of the same material. She 
was about eighteen, had long, black, coarse hair hanging down 
her back, with "bangs" over the eyes. The writer has often won- 

333 



334 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



dered if the custom of wearing "bangs" did not originate with 
the Indian maiden! For an hour or more she sat astride of her 
horse, just outside the camp-grounds, motionless as a statue, 
holding her father's horse, while he stood leaning against a 
tree, close to the people, gazing upon the services. They wanted 
"biscuit." The people hastened to supply their needs, when 
meat, potatoes, bread, cake, pie, all that was given them, was 
thrust into a common sack; not a mouthful did they taste while 
in sight. 

Number Two. — The second was to the Ministerial Associ- 
ation of the Denver District, which met in Boulder, February 
22, 1871. Leaving our mountain home on Monday morning, in 
company with Rev. B. T. Vincent, our popular presiding elder, 
who had his own conveyance, we drive to Idaho Springs, and 
halt for a plunge bath, hasten on to Golden City, where the writer 
was dropped, while the presiding elder proceeded on to Denver. 

George Osborn, Esq., came over from "Ralston Crossing" 
with a light spring-wagon, and conveyed Rev. E. C. Brooks 
and wife, F. C. Millington, and the writer to his own home for 
the night. The next morning we were joined by Rev. G. W. 
Swift, and proceeded by the same conveyance to Boulder. En 
route a few tame buffalo were seen, feeding with some cattle near 
the track. The two younger members of the party thought to 
scare them by chasing them on foot. They were on the opposite 
side of a small run, and did not scare worth a cent; but made 
directly for the boys at a rapid gait. The boys soon changed 
their tactics, leaped the creek, and ran to the wagon with all 
dispatch possible. They had not lost any buffaloes! 

The Boulder of that day was not the Boulder of to-day; it 
was then but a small village, with a few scattering houses. The 
Association met in the Congregational Church, which, I be- 
lieve, was the only church-building there at the time, and was a 
gathering of deep interest and profit. 

Rev. G. S. Allen, who was supplying the Platte River Cir- 
cuit, invited me, at the close of the Association, to accompany 
him to his field of labor. When he was getting ready to start, 
on Friday morning, I noticed that he put in his grip a Bible, 



PLEASURE SAUNTERINGS. 



335 



hymn-book, and a Colt's navy revolver. I said, "Gay, what do 
you want with that?" pointing to the ivory-handled revolver. 
He answered, smiling, "It may come handy before we get back. 
One never knows whom they will meet." 

That was the first time I ever saw a minister place "carnal" 
and "spiritual" weapons side by side; but it is not the last, as the 
future of this narrative will show. 

His appointments for the coming Sabbath were at the Grout 
Schoolhouse, directly west of old Fort Lupton, in the morning, 
and at Jackson's residence, on the east side of the river, at night. 

The congregations were large for the communities, and very 
attentive while the writer discoursed to them. Then "Gay," 
according to the old custom, followed with rousing exhorta- 
tions. 

Much of the "Fort" was then standing. Its walls were of 
adobe, four square, eight or ten feet high, with port-holes here 
and there along the sides, and were built by the Northwestern 
Fur Company, about the year 1830. It stands on the eastern 
bank of the river, and overlooks a vast area of table-land on the 
east, and the broad bottoms opposite on the west. 

At the northeast corner was a watch-tower, rising several 
feet above the adjacent walls, in which was a well of water. On 
one side of the inner wall were rooms for dwellings and storage. 
The entrance was covered by a small adobe building, while two 
or three others stood just beyond. Much of the old wall still 
remains. The ground has been owned for many years by David 
Ewing, Esq., on which his family now resides, he having crossed 
to the other shore. 

Number Three. — Learning early in the spring of 1871, that 
a colony had located at Green City, twenty-five miles below the 
then new town of Evans, and that a brother of mine, whom I had 
seen but once in seventeen years, had joined them, I decided 
to visit them, and preach for them on the last Sabbath of April. 
On my way there, having reached Evans by rail from Denver, 
the only available conveyance at hand was a wagon loaded with 
lumber, drawn by a pair of mules, just shipped in from the States, 
and not yet acclimated. They were driven by a boy, perhaps 
22 



336 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



seventeen years of age, who had never camped out in his life. 
He, too, was a "tenderfoot." The road was fair, with no im- 
provements along the way. Late in the afternoon the mules 
gave out, and would not budge an inch. No amount of coaxing 
could induce them to take another step. There we were on a 
broad prairie, far from fuel, water, or feed for the mules or our- 
selves, and without a blanket or cover of any kind, save a few 
newspapers, and with night approaching. What could we do, 
not knowing where we were, but to bivouac right there. The boy 
had not even a lariat to picket out the mules. There was no 
other alternative, but we made the best of it. The mules were 
unhitched and tied to the front end of the wagon, while we crept 
under it, lying in the road, with boards set up against the wheels 
to protect us from the chilly winds, and covered as much as 
possible with newspapers, which changed more or less with every 
breeze. Between the noise of the restless mules, having had 
nothing to eat or drink since morning, our own hunger and 
thirst, the constant tramp and howling of the wolves about us, 
and the tossing about and whining of the boy, we got very little 
rest. 

At daylight we hitched up, crossed a sandy ridge, came to a 
bend in the river, watered the mules, and reached Green City 
about eight o'clock in the morning, where I found a pleasant 
home w r ith George O. Stevens, Esq. 

The following Sabbath, April 30, 1871, I preached twice in 
David S. Green's unfinished residence; text, morning, 2 Tim- 
othy iii, 16; afternoon, Ecclesiastes xii, 13, 14. 

The following week several of us went down into the vicinity 
of Fremont's Orchard on a hunt. The hills were covered with 
antelope, but our guns were short range; several were wounded, 
but we got no big game. On an island in the river we saw sev- 
eral deer; but they plunged into the stream and swam to the 
shore before we could get a good shot at them. 

Number Four. — My fourth trip was to the Hot Sulphur 
Springs of Middle Park, about sixty-five miles distant from 
Georgetown, on the west side of the great snowcapped range 
of the continent. 



PLEASURE SAUNTER1NGS. 



337 



It was a beautiful morning, the 14th of August, 1871, when 
a party of thirteen started, on horseback, for a ten days' tramp 
through the very heart of the Rocky Mountains, crossing over 
the Empire and Berthoud Passes. 

The trail, for such it was, led us through deep canons, over 
rocky heights, along the edges of fearful precipices, up and down 
deep, narrow defiles; then along mountain sides where the de- 
clivities were so steep that one could touch the mountain with 
the hand; again through miles of fallen timber; and, finally, out 
into a broad, open park, with hills, valleys, plains, groves of ever- 
green, streamlets, creeks, rivers, and lakes spread out before 
the observer. 

For ten days such scenery was passing and repassing in 
panoramic view before our enraptured vision — too grand and 
imposing for a description. To be appreciated, it must be seen. 
What if we passed beyond the haunts of civilization? Others 
had gone the same way before us, and others by the thousand will 
come after. Did I say it was morning when we left our moun- 
tain-walled town? No, it was noon before our animals were all 
packed and we waved the last farewell to loved ones gazing after 
us. An ancient caravan leaving the gates of Jerusalem could 
scarcely have been more imposing. Some of our animals were 
such as the Savior rode in his flight from the wrath of Herod. 

Wherever night overtook us we unpacked and unsaddled our 
animals, pitched our tents, cooked and ate our suppers, sang and 
chatted around our camp-fires, said our prayers, and offered, our 
praises to the God and Creator of all, turned in, and slept soundly 
until daybreak (not on beds of down or spring mattresses, but on 
mother earth), when all were astir to get an early start. Break- 
fast over, prayers said, tin dishes washed, animals saddled and 
repacked, our four favored ones of the fairer sex often taking 
the lead, single file, we start. Noon comes; our animals are 
turned loose to fill themselves on the mountain grasses of this 
rocky region; dinner, gotten in haste, is eaten to satisfy appetites 
sharpened by a morning ride. 

We always camped beside some gurgling fountain, murmur- 
ing brook, or flowing river, whose limpid waters hasten on to 
their ocean home. There were several invalids in our party, 



338 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



whose object was not only sight-seeing, but health. If the thou- 
sands of the East suffering from dyspepsia, asthma, consumption 
in its earlier stages, and other ailments, could be made to believe 
how exhilarating, invigorating, and health-restoring to the whole 
system such a tramp would be to them, they would break every 
binding chain, and spend months in traversing our mountain 
slopes and deep gorges, visiting our mineral fountains and vast 
parks. 

The springs are located on the north bank of the Grand 
River, one of the tributaries of the great Colorado, whose waters 
empty into the Pacific Ocean. We forded its transparent waters, 
and pitched our tents about one-half a mile above the springs. 
While we were arranging the camp, Rev. George Richardson, 
now of Argo, Colorado, caught some thirty trout from the ad- 
jacent river. One morning before breakfast he threw out on 
the bank, with his hook and line, sixty-three speckled beauties, 
while the rest of us could scarcely get a bite. He kept it up at 
that rate all the time we remained there. Did we not enjoy them, 
though? I dare not tell the number we ate at a meal. It was 
trout for breakfast, dinner, and supper, and yet we never tired 
of them. 

Would that all ministers were as successful as "fishers of 
men!" On approaching the springs, one is reminded of a cer- 
tain place spoken of in the Bible. Imagining no danger, we walk 
on, and enter a log bath-house. A stream of hot water, 114 de- 
grees F., pours over a projecting rock into a rocky basin, eight 
feet below, twelve feet across, and two feet deep, formed largely 
by its own action through unknown ages. 

Who will dare step into that pool of boiling water? One in- 
stinctively exclaims as he touches hand or foot to the seething 
element. Wait a moment, dip a little, go slow; in a few minutes 
you will be able to stand under that small stream pouring over 
the head, shoulders, and body, and call it good. As one gazes 
upon those who resort thither for relief, he is reminded of the 
Pool of Bethesda, about the time the angel made his annual 
visits. From this, as the center of operations, excursions are 
made in various directions. The scenery is attractive, varied, and 
beautiful, game plenty, fish are abundant in streams and lakes. 



PLEASURE SAUNTERINGS. 



339 



These springs have been a favorite place of resort for the Ute 
Indians for unnumbered centuries. They came in squads, re- 
maining two or three weeks, fishing, hunting, or bathing, as their 
necessities or notions prompted them. The "bucks," "squaws," 
and "papooses" all bathed at once. Modesty is "an unknown 
quantity" among them. They would make the surrounding hills 
echo with their shouts of laughter and merriment while enjoying 
the bath. A company of three hundred left the springs a day 
or two before we arrived. 

The only house there at the time was a two-room log cabin, 
occupied by an invalid "bacher," who collected "toll" from the 
bathers in the springs. Quite a party of campers gathered for 
religious services on Sabbath morning, August 20, 1871, to hear 
a sermon from the Rev. Thomas R. Sheer. His text was, "Behold 
the man." (John xix, 5.) It was an excellent discourse. That 
day eighteen dined on grouse at our camp, and yet the bones 
were not all picked! 

A gentleman joined our party who had some provisions in a 
sack, which he, wrapped in a blanket, used for a pillow as he 
slept. One night he was awakened by a coyote endeavoring to 
draw it from under his head. Two boys and two men, Rev. 
George Richardson and Rev. Thomas R. Sheer, slept under the 
trees wherever we camped. Often they were awakened by coyotes 
picking up the crumbs about the camp; especially when tramped 
over. Some nights the wolves made the air hideous with their 
bowlings. One evening, when returning from the springs, we 
heard the cry of a child, as we supposed, from a cliff of rocks 
just back of our tents. We thought a little one had wandered 
from some camp and was lost, and at once said, "We will go to 
its rescue." Just then it was suggested by an old-timer that 
"that was the seductive cry of a panther." It is needless to say 
that we had lost no panthers! 

One morning a company of nine started off to hunt "agates" 
and wild game. We crossed ridge after ridge until we reached 
the broad, grassy bottoms of the Troublesome. Here we halted 
for dinner, and spent the afternoon in hunting agates, shooting 
at the flocks of geese, ducks, and sage-hens that were flying 
around us. We find some agates and kill some game, remain 



34-0 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

all night, and return the next day to the springs in time for 
dinner. A week passes in these excursions almost before we are 
aware of it; our time is shortening; we must retreat from these 
wilds of nature. Invigorated and strengthened, the following 
members of the party — the writer, wife, and son; Rev. J. W. 
Sinnock and wife, now of New Mexico; Miss Mary Smith, then 
teacher in the public schools of Georgetown; Miss Sue Black, 
of Bolivar, Ohio, since become Mrs. James McLaughlin, of Utah; 
and young Willie Hood, — returned to our home in Georgetown, 
healthier, wiser, and better. The others extended their trip. 

Number Five. — Four years after, a wagon-road having been 
constructed across the range over Berthoud Pass, a party of six, 
in which were John Black, Esq., and his sister, of Baltimore, 
Md., and this writer and his good wife, went over the same route 
with a team, wagon, and saddle-ponies. At Hot Sulphur Springs 
we now found quite a village, and a bridge over the Grand 
River; also an elegant bath-house in the place of the old log one. 
With some difficulty, as there was nothing but a trail to follow, 
we reached the valleys of the Troublesome and the Muddy. 
En route we found that stockmen had gone in with their herds 
of horses and cattle, which were fattening on the nutritious 
grasses. Our trip was extended down the Grand River to the 
mouth of the Blue, up that river to the Snake, and up that stream 
to the base of the range. We here ascended the precipitous 
continental Divide over a winding wagon-road, and crossed Ar- 
gentine Pass, which is thirteen thousand feet above sea-level, and 
about two thousand feet above timber-line. The descent on the 
west side is simply terrific. Whoever makes it will not soon 
forget it. The road to Georgetown was more gradual, and 
through timber much of the way. Before there was a wagon- 
road over this Pass, Stephen Utter, at the head of a pack-train of 
jacks, loaded with ore, had crossed the Pass, and just as he came 
down into the timber on the east side was met by a Mister Bruin, 
who seated himself in the trail, and waited to give him a warm 
reception. It was not convenient for Mr. Utter to pass on either 
side of him. The bear was bound to have a feast on human flesh. 
Mr. Utter, when not twenty feet distant, pulled his navy revolver, 



PLEASURE SAUNTERINGS. 



341 



and shot the animal through the heart. Cutting skids from 
saplings near by, he placed his riding mule on the side of the 
mountain below the bear, and, aided by his man from the rear, 
rolled Mr. Bruin on the back of the mule and brought him to 
town, where he was swung up by a rope and tackle in front of 
his brother's livery-stable. The next day the neighbors feasted 
on bear-meat. 

This reminds me of another incident, which occurred soon 
after the above. Two young men went over in the Snake River 
country bear-hunting. They would make their names famous 
as bear-hunters. Well, they did; and I will tell you how. Walk- 
ing along through the timber, where fires had raged some years 
before, they saw on a knoll near them several cubs playing among 

the rocks. One of the men said, "Let us shoot them." M 

replied, "Do n't do that, for if you wound and do not kill, the 
cub will make such a fuss, that the mother, who is somewhere 
near, will be down on us in a jiffy." The other, heeding not the 
warning, fired, wounding one of the innocent cubs, which set 
up a fearful cry as predicted. In a moment the old mother ap- 
peared, snuffed her suffering offspring, saw the two men a little 
way off, and instinctively supposing them to be the cause, made 
for them rapidly, with mouth widely opened. They were alarmed 
to see such a brute coming for them in that manner. There was 
no time for parleying. In their excitement they neglected to 
shoot at the enraged animal; but ran for the nearest tree, where 
they dropped their guns and "shinned" it up as fast as possible. 
Such climbing as that up those barkless pines is not often seen! 
The bear could not climb the smooth trunks. The men were 
beyond her reach. The next best thing for her to do was either 
to shake them or the trees down; so seizing each in turn with 
her forepaws, she gave them a fearful shake. Each man ex- 
pected his tree to come down. This was repeated several times, 
going from one to the other. Being in no hurry, she seated her- 
self midway between them, and awaited results. 

The men clung to the trees for dear life until sundown, when 
Mrs. Bruin's wrath having somewhat cooled, she concluded it 
was time to look after other matters, and left; not, however, 
without returning several times to see that her game was still 



342 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



treed. Thinking, doubtless, that they were safe, she passed out 
of sight beyond the knoll to look after her cubs. The brave 
hunters then slid down, picked up their guns, and retreated to 
camp. Not a gray hair did either of them have when they left 
Georgetown, yet when they returned both were as gray as rats. 
No consideration could induce them to go bear-hunting after that. 

In this trip of three weeks we saw very little game; while on 
the former one sage-hens, wild-geese, and antelope were nu- 
merous. 

One evening found us at a forsaken, lonely cabin. The door 
was ajar, and some of the chinks were out from between the logs. 
There was a rude fireplace, and in one corner a resemblance to 
a bedstead. As we gazed upon this forsaken abode, we were 
reminded of the following incident: "A belated home missionary 
was casting about him for a desirable place in which to spend 
the night, when a little way ahead he descried a rude cabin." 
We wondered if this was not the identical one. 

"Approaching nearer, he saw it was one of the poorest of these 
rough habitations, and much of the 'chinking' between the logs 
had fallen out, rendering the place additionally uncomfortable. 

" 'Such a place as that is surely deserted,' said the young min- 
ister to himself ; 'and I am inclined to think I would rather sleep 
out of doors to-night, than inside that shell, even if it should prove 
to be inhabited by one who would make me welcome.' 

"At that moment the sound of song floated out through the 
openings between the logs, and our traveler stopped his horse to 
listen to the man's weak voice singing that dear old home-song, 
'The Home of the Soul.' 

'O, that-home of the soul! in my visions and dreams 

Its bright jasper walls I can see, 
Till I fancy but dimly the veil intervenes 
Between that fair city and me!' 

were the words which reached the ears of the listener outside. 

" 'I must see the man who can sing like that in such a place as 
this,' thought the missionary, riding up to the cabin, and alight- 
ing from his horse. 

"A feeble 'Come!' came from within, in answer to his knock; 



PLEASURE SA UNTE RINGS. 



343 



and, entering, he found himself in the one small room of the cabin, 
which was almost destitute of furniture. 

"In one corner a rude bedstead of poles and brush had been 
constructed, on which some old blankets were spread, and on 
this hard bed lay a man, evidently very near to death. 

"Dying alone in this situation, twenty miles from the nearest 
camp, still his look into the beyond seemed so clear, so real, that 
the language of the hymn he feebly sang was indeed the language 
of the heart. He died that night, and I have never ceased to 
feel a thrill of thankfulness whenever I think of him, that I was 
belated that day, and so enabled to be with that man when the 
end came. Surely, that which satisfies a man when dying in the 




View of Glenwood Hot Salt-water Springs, and of 
the Grand River. 



midst of such surroundings, is not a thing to be lightly rejected. 
When a young man leaves the home of his boyhood, he can not 
afford to leave the religion of Christ, too." 

Why speak of the "pleasure saunterings" of other days, when 
there are so many attractions now that were then unknown? 
They are next to endless in Colorado and the adjacent regions. 
Space forbids the enumeration of them. What changes a quarter 
of a century has made in the methods of travel through the grand 
scenery of these Rocky Mountains! Nearly every part can now, 
or soon will be reached by railways. The "iron-horse" takes 
the enraptured passenger up through the deep-winding canons, 
along mountain sides, and over dizzy heights, "where snow has 



I 



344 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

lain since the first flake fell." It is only here and there that other 
methods of travel are necessary to reach the desirable places of 
resort. As one glides along the "iron way," the scene is an ever- 
changing kaleidoscope. Why not take a quaff of this pure ozone, 
and get one grand view from some sublime elevation that will be 
a source of delight the balance of your days? 

"Colorado! Colorado! 
With thy silver-crested mountains; 
With thy sparkling, dashing fountains; 
With thy air so pure and bracing, 
Sickness from the body chasing; 
With thy skies so blue, entrancing; 
With thy mines thy wealth enhancing, 
With thy canons, peaks, and passes, 
Noble men and bonny lasses, — 
Thou art sure an El Dorado, 
And I love thee, Colorado!" 

—By William Wirt King, D. D. 



XI. 



CONFERENCES OK 1871-2. 

The ninth' session of the Colorado Conference was opened 
in the city of Denver, on the morning of July 20, 1871, by Bishop 
E. S. Janes, who conducted the opening exercises. Nixon S. 
Buckner, of the Illinois Conference; J. H. Merritt, of the Black 
River Conference; T. R. Sheer, of the Baltimore Conference; 
R. W. Bosworth, of the Wisconsin Conference, were announced 
transferred to the Colorado Conference. Henry C. Waltz was 
admitted on a certificate of location from the North Indiana 
Conference. B. T. Vincent was elected delegate to the General 
Conference; George Murray, alternate. O. P. McMains was 
granted a location at his own request. Edward C. Brooks, 
George W. Swift, and William Shepherd were ordained deacons. 

The appointments were as follows: 

DENVER DISTRICT— B. T. Vincknt, P. E. 

Denver T. R. Slicer. 

Denver Circuit H. J. Shaffner. 

Golden G. W. Swift. 

Central W. D. Chase. 

Black Hawk and Nevada P. McNutt. 

Georgetown I. H. Beardsley. 

Idaho and Empire To be supplied. 

Littleton and Plumb Creek Supplied by J. M. Lambert. 

Cherry Creek J. L. Dyer. 

Greeley G. H. Adams. 

Evans and Green City... To be supplied. 

Big Thompson and Cache la Poudre J. R. Moore. 

Longmont F. C. Millington. 

Boulder and Valmont R. W. Bosworth. 

Caribou, Ward, and James Creek Supplied by G. S. Allen. 

Platte River George Wallace. 

South Pass and Atlantic To be supplied. 

German Mission To be supplied. 

Missionary to Utah Territory G. M. Pierce. 

345 



346 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



PUEBLO DISTRICT— George Murray, P. E. 

Colorado City W. F. Warren. 

Canon City E. C. Brooks. 

Pueblo J. H. Merritt. 

Monument Jesse Smith. 

Fairplay and Granite To be supplied. 

Arkansas River To be supplied. 

Huerfano To be supplied. 

Trinidad Supplied by E. J. Rice. 

Elizabethtown, N, M N. S. Buckner. 

La Junta, N. M Thomas Harwood. 

Ocate and Peralto To be supplied. 

J. L. Peck, transferred to the New York Conference. 

The personal ecclesiastical history of these new members is 
briefly this : 

R. W. Bosworth: Boulder and Valmont, two years; Greeley, 
one year; Fort Collins, three years; Boulder, two years more; 
made a supernumerary in 1878; then was transferred back to his 
old Conference, the Wisconsin, in 1880. 

Thorns R. Slicer, a son of the venerable Henry Slicer, of the 
Baltimore Conference, remained in Colorado only a short time; 
at Lawrence Street, Denver, one year, and Georgetown, three 
months; when he was transferred to the New York East Con- 
ference in 1873. 

N. S. Buckner: Elizabethtown, N. M., one year; Fairplay, 
two years; Arvada, one year; then he was transferred to the 
South Kansas Conference in 1875. 

Henry C. Waltz was born in Wayne County, Indiana, June 
5, 1843, an d died in Quincy, Illinois, May 11, 1877. His boyhood 
was spent on a farm. In September, i860, he entered the Pre- 
paratory Department of the Indiana Asbury University, from 
which he graduated with the highest honors of his class in June, 
1866. He then spent twenty-two months abroad, traveling in 
Europe and in the Holy Land. February 2, 1862, he united with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Greencastle, Indiana, and 
the same evening received the evidence of sins forgiven. He 
was licensed to preach May 14, 1865, and entered the traveling 
connection in 1869, by joining the North Indiana Conference. 



CONFERENCES OF l8jI-2. 



347 



On the 22d of September, 1870, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Helen Carrott, of Quincy, 111. On account of failing health, 
in the spring of 1871 he was located at his own request, and came 
to Colorado to rest and regain his health. 

He filled the following appointments here with great accepta- 
bility: 187 1, Cheyenne and Laramie; 1872 and 1873, Golden; and 
1874, Pueblo. At the session of Conference in 1875 he was com- 
pelled, by his failing health, to take a supernumerary relation, 
which he held until his death. Among his last utterances were 
the following: "It is hard for me to leave my little family; but 
to die is gain." "I am going home. Come, Lord Jesus, come 
quickly." "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." A 
beautiful floral cross was placed near his bedside, when he said: 
"Simply to thy cross I cling. I have been doing this the most of 
my life." To a pastor, in giving directions about his funeral 
service, he said: "Say but little about me; but exalt the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and urge all present to accept him, and hold up the 
missionary cause." Of him it may be truthfully said, "Mark the 
perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is 
peace." 

John H. Merritt was born in Sudbury, Vermont, October 
3, 1836; was converted October 10, 1855, and soon after called 
to the ministry; licensed to exhort June 21, 1858, and to preach 
August 12, 1858; joined the Black River Conference April, 1859, 
and served the following charges therein: Edwards and Fine; 
Colton and Cox's Mills; Gouverneur and Richville; Constable, 
Chateaugay, and West Stockholm; Louisville, and Fort Coving- 
ton. He was transferred to Colorado April 1, 1871, and has been 
in the effective ranks, except one year, ever since. He has served 
Pueblo two years; Canon City, three years; the Southern Dis- 
trict, four years; Silver Cliff, two years; the Northern District, 
five and one-half years; the Southern District, two years; making 
eleven and one-half years in the presiding eldership in the Colo- 
rado Conference. At Fifth Avenue, Denver, 1892. The next 
year he was made a supernumerary, that he might visit foreign 
lands. Finding himself greatly recuperated, in 1894 he was 
made "effective," and sent to Arvada, where he is still pastor 



348 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



(1896). He was ordained deacon April 28, 1861, by Bishop 
Osman C. Baker, and elder April 19, 1863, by Bishop E. S. Janes. 
The Deaconess Home in Denver, now (1897) discontinued, was 
named for his most excellent wife, who was crowned December 
8, 189 1, and is now clad in her celestial robes. A very interesting 
memoir of Sister Merritt was written by Mrs. A. C. Peck, of 

Denver, and published in book 
form by the Western Methodist 
Book Concern, of Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

Brother Merritt is an instruct- 
ive and conscientious minister 
of the gospel. He is a giant in 
physical stature, being over six 
feet tall, and weighing about two 
hundred and seventy pounds. 
His mother is a direct descendant 
of the martyred John Rogers, 
burned at the stake .February 4, 
1555, in Smithfield, London, 
England. The offense was given 
in a sermon which he preached 
rev. j. h. merritt, d. d. at St. Paul's Cross, August 3, 

1543. This led to his arrest and 
condemnation by Gardiner. He was the first of the "Marian 
Martyrs." 

His ancestors on the paternal side came from England in the 
Colonial days, and settled in New England. His grandfather 
served in the Revolutionary War. 

1872. — July 25, 1872, at ten o'clock A. M., Bishop Foster 
began his first Conference in Georgetown, Colorado. Rev. G. M. 
Pierce, of Salt Lake City, conducted the opening exercises. G. H. 
Adams was elected secretary. 

George Murray was made a superannuate, and George Wal- 
lace a supernumerary. Twenty-three preachers and two supplies, 
John Stocks and George Skene, received appointments. The 
Conference made two excursions, one to Green Lake and the 




CONFERENCES OF l8jI-2. 



349 



other to Gray's Peak; the latter, however, after adjournment. 
This closes the first ten years' history of the Colorado Confer- 
ence, with 23 ministers, 1,277 members and probationers, 35 Sun- 
day-schools; 6 parsonages, valued at $7,900; and 23 churches, 
valued at $11,320. This report shows an increase in this decade 
of 17 ministers, 1,000 members, 5 parsonages, 22 churches, and 
25 Sunday-schools. 




GRAY'S PEAK. 



When we consider the chaotic condition of things in this 
region, where few expected to remain longer than "to make a 
raise," and then "go back to God's country," we can but exclaim, 
"What hath God wrought!" 

The transfers were: Paterson McNutt, from the Kansas Con- 
ference, who did excellent work in Black Hawk for a year and a 
half, when he was elected professor in Asbury University, Green- 
castle, Indiana. He returned to Colorado in 1885, and supplied 



35o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Del Norte for a time, beginning also a church enterprise in Monte 
Vista. He died February 9, 1886; and of whom it can truly be 
said, He was one of the King's noblemen. 

B. F. Crary, D. D., from the St. Louis Conference. He was 
not present at the Conference session, but was placed in charge 
of the Southern District, which he traveled, "as it was before 
the days of railroads in that part of the mountains, with a light 
wagon and pair of gray ponies. The first time he crossed the 
Sangre de Cristo, or 'Blood of Christ' range of mountains, when 
he reached the summit, and stopped to behold the wondrous 
beauty of the scene, he broke out singing the words of the hymn: 

'Jesus, thy blood and righteousness, 
My beauty are, my glorious dress. 
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed, 
With joy shall I lift up my head.' 

"Upon returning from Fairplay, where he had been to hold 
his second quarterly-meeting, where he found that an attempt 
to steal our church and Sunday-school had been foiled by the 
nerve of Sister N. S. Buckner, during her husband's absence, 
he said to me, 'If hell is any worse place than Fairplay, I cer- 
tainly want to be saved from going there.' He was always happy 
and cheerful, abominating shams and exposing them most merci- 
lessly; but always ready to help the boys, struggling amid un- 
favorable circumstances." 

In the fall of 1872 he was preaching at the Kramer Settle- 
ment, below Pueblo, in a small log schoolhouse, with a low ceil- 
ing, when the Holy Spirit descended upon him in such power, 
that he shouted with all his might. The people present, not hav- 
ing been accustomed to such demonstrations, opened their eyes 
in astonishment, wondering what next? 

The Doctor pushed the work in every direction. On one of 
his long mountain trips, with his camping outfit, when farthest 
from home a letter of joy reached him, stating that a son had 
been born. Weeks passed before he could return. He was home- 
ward bound, preaching here and there along the route, when 
another letter brought him the sad intelligence, "Your son is 
dead and buried." This gave the Doctor a tender feeling for his 



CONFERENCES OF 187 1-2. 



351 



brethren, which he never had before. For four years he served 
this district most manfully, and then was transferred to the 
Northern District, where for four years more he did some of the 
best work of his life. 

Dr. Crary, addressing the bishop at Golden, in his Conference 
report said: 

"I hope it will not seem improper for me to indulge for a 
moment in reminiscences, which force themselves upon me. 
Thirty-three years ago I was admitted into the traveling connec- 
tion in the Indiana Con- 
ference, of which you. Sire, 
were an honored member. 
We meet strangely 
enough in the Rocky 
Mountains, after the event- 
ful journey of a third of 
a century. We were both 
young then. The shad- 
ows are lengthening now 
over the mead whither we 
wander. The day of the 
Lord is at hand, and soon 
the voice of the Master 
will be heard, and whether 
on the mountain or plain, 
in the city full or by the 
wayside, we shall fall 
asleep and rest. Life seems to me valuable only as a means of 
doing good, and thus of glorifying God; and the end of life here 
is the beginning of the better life where we shall enjoy Him for- 
ever. My rule of life, since I entered the ministry, has been to 
do the work assigned me to the best of my ability. If I should 
fall at any time and be unable to make any sign, I want to leave 
on record the testimony of my unfaltering love for the Church, 
and my cheerful, happy obedience to her behests. Life is just 
as dear as ever, but reason and experience show that its tender 
threads are liable to break. If old age is coming, it is beginning 
with greater contentment, intenser love for my brethren, and 
23 




352 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



sweeter peace with God. It may be that we shall not all meet 
again on earth, but we shall see each other again in his holy 
mountain, in the City of our God." 

Seventeen years afterward the Doctor crossed the Divide, as 
here predicted, "unable to make a sign." 

"He was born in Indiana, December 12, 1821; educated near 
Cincinnati; admitted to the bar, 1845, lXi Indiana; the same year 
admitted on trial into the Indiana Conference; 1852, presiding 
elder Bloomington District; 1856, i860, 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876, 
1880, General Conference; D. D. in 1859 from Iowa Wesleyan, 
in 1865 from Indiana University; president Hamline University, 
1857; State Superintendent Public Instruction in Minnesota, 1861, 
and pastor Jackson Street Church, St. Paul; 1862, private and 
chaplain 3d Minnesota Volunteers, served at Murfreesboro and 
against the Sioux; 1864, editor Central Christian Advocate; 1872, 
presiding elder Colorado; 1880-1895, editor California Christian 
Advocate; died in San Francisco, March 16, 1895." 

It ought to be said that during the time of his suffering with 
the paralytic stroke, his noble wife did much of his editorial work, 
and thus contributed to the interest and success of the Advocate. 

Those admitted on trial were: John M. Lambert, who was 
ordained deacon, and sent to Littleton Circuit — discontinued, 
1873; Wilbur F. Mappin, who served Laramie City, Wyoming, 
and Evans, Colorado, each a year, then was transferred to the 
Cincinnati Conference, in 1874. 

Cyrus A. Brooks was not at the Conference, neither had any 
member thereof known him, save his brother Edward, who sought 
his admission. When his name was presented, Bishop Foster 
remarked, ''That his father had made a good record," and a 
member of the Conference jokingly said, "Blood will tell." The 
vote was then taken, and he was made a member on trial in the 
Colorado Annual Conference. He was born in Newark, Ohio, 
January 29, 1842; entered the Union army as private in 1861, and 
came out four years after as assistant surgeon; practiced medi- 
cine for some years; was converted in 1868, and always felt his 
place to be in the pulpit. The North Lawrence Quarterly Con- 



CONFERENCES OF 1871-2. 



353 



ference, Kansas, recommended him for admission on trial in the 
spring of 1872. He was sent to Wet Mountain Valley, which 
was a new work, without a Church organization of any kind. 
He was the first pastor in that valley, and preached the first ser- 
mon at Ula, August 21, 1872, forming a class composed of Addie 
C. Brooks, J. M. Burnell, Catherine Hamne, and Mrs. Venable. 
He was obliged to work in a sawmill at daily labor to support 
his family a part of the year. He preached the first sermon in 
a carpenter-shop, at Castle Rock, May 17, 1874, from Matthew 
xvi, 24, and built the parsonage with his own hands. After two 
years here, he was appointed to Colorado City, supplying Colo- 
rado Springs a part of the time. The next 
three years at Fort Collins; then at Black 
Hawk two years; Morrison and Kokomo, 
each six months; Rosita and Silver Cliff, 
two years; Leadville, two years; Longmont, 
six months; Evanston, Wyoming, one year 
and a half. In 1888 Bishop Joyce made him 
presiding elder of the newly-formed ''Gunni- 
son District," now Salida, which he served 
for the full Disciplinary term of six years. 
He was assigned to Golden 1894-5, and at 
Fort Lupton 1896. RE v. c. a. brooks. 

Like Saul of the Bible, his "head and 
shoulders" are above most of his brethren. Few men enjoy tell- 
ing a good joke more than he. Brother Brooks is an earnest 
preacher of the gospel. 

WhKn the session of Conference had closed, and the labor 
of caring for others had passed, an article was written, from which 
I make a few extracts: 

"Conference is over. The preachers have come and gone. 
Bishop Foster acquitted himself grandly. He showed himself to 
be the right man in the right place. His sermon on Sabbath 
was remarkable for its simplicity and power. The whole audi- 
ence was swayed with power from on high. The session was 
unusually pleasant and harmonious. Several new men were 
added to our list by reception and transfer. The statistics show 




354 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



a handsome increase in all the departments of Church work. 
God is helping us to establish a healthy moral sentiment in all 
these regions. Society is rapidly changing for the better. A 
Spirit baptism is greatly needed. The speculation fever runs 
hiigh. The success of fortunate ones excites the less fortunate to 
more desperate exertions, and thus the excitement keeps up. 
This state of things can but interfere with spiritual growth. God 
only is able to overrule for his glory. 

"The week after Conference is usually a busy one: with us 
it has been unusually so. The law of the Church has said to us, 
'Move.' The old itinerant boxes have to be brought out and 
dusted, the library and household fixtures adjusted therein. 
How desolate and lonely the rooms! The goods are gone; 
valise and its contents only left. We go through the rooms 
where three anxious years have sped pleasantly away. Somehow 
these walls have made up a part of our being. We think of all 
the rooms occupied during the years of our itinerant life. We 
are sad. A tear moistens the eye in spite of our resolution to 
the contrary. We think of that 'house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens,' from which there will be no moving; joy 
springs up within; we are contented and happy, now; this helps 
wonderfully. Other hearts will laugh and cry within these walls; 
other feet will tread these floors. These rooms will compose 
parts of other lives. Adieus have been said and farewells given! 
The thought often comes home to us: 'O, say, shall we meet you 
all there?' 

"But we must not linger: others are waiting for us. They in- 
vite our ministrations. We are off to greet other faces, hearts, 
and hands. True, they are strangers; but they have human sym- 
pathies and wants. They will make us welcome. We are con- 
tent." 

My first quarterly-meeting of the new year was held, Septem- 
ber 8, 1872, in Longmont. The Quarterly Conference unani- 
mously passed the following resolution : 

''That we, the members of the Quarterly Conference, grant our pastor 
permission to travel in foreign countries as he desires. 

"(Signed,) E. J. Coffman, Secretary. 

"G. H. Adams, P. E." 



CONFERENCES OF lS/I-2. 



355 



For years I had contemplated a foreign tour. For this I had 
studied books on travel, and dreamed of the things to be seen. 
When Conference was over, I was astonished, on going to the 
bank, to find myself in possession of the means for such a tour. 
How some of it came there I never knew. Had I known this 
before the adjournment, I should not have accepted an appoint- 
ment. The next best thing was to ask my Quarterly Confer- 
ence for a leave of absence, which was granted in the above 
resolution. 



XII. 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 

Among those who arrived here early in 1859 was a local elder 
by the name of G. W. Fisher, a carpenter by trade. Formerly 
his home was in Illinois; but he had moved his family to Missouri, 
where he left them, and to which he returned late in 1863, or 
early in 1864. He was in feeble health, suffering much from 
rheumatism when in the mountains, and was only able to work 
a part of the time. He died soon after returning East. In front 
of the residence of John A. Smith, near the corner of Twelfth 
and Wewatta Streets, in February, 1859, Fisher preached the first 
sermon in what is now the city of Denver, to about seventy-five 
men, who were camped there under the cottonwood-trees. On 
April 14th after, he preached again in an unfinished building 
near the corner of Fifteenth and Larimer Streets, which was on 
the site of the present "Railroad Building." This house had no 
floor at the time. The joists were in position, and a few boards 
were placed on these in one corner, which formed the platform on 
which the preacher stood to proclaim the gospel to the people, 
who were sitting on the joists or standing as they could. To this 
Brother Fisher belongs the honor of proclaiming the first gospel 
message in what is now known as Denver. 

The next services were held by the Revs. W. H. Goode and 
Jacob Adriance, missionaries sent out by the Church from Ne- 
braska, in the months of July and August following. In the 
former month a society was organized, and on August 2, 1859, 
a Quarterly Conference was held for the "Auraria and Denver 
City Mission" of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Alexander 
Carter, Henry Reitze, and H. J. Graham were elected stewards. 
The latter soon after was elected a delegate to the House of Rep- 
resentatives at Washington, D. C. 

Jacob Adriance, the pastor, was made secretary of the Quar- 
terly-meeting Conference. This was the first Church organiza- 

356 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



357 



tion formed in the city of Denver. The society at that time had 
twenty-two names enrolled. August 7, 1859, Rev. W. H. Goode 
administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper for the first time 
in Denver. 

The second Quarterly Conference was held in "Auraria," now 
West Denver, October 29, 1859, b y Revs. Adriance and Fisher. 
The latter preached to half a dozen persons in the Adriance cabin 
at 2.30 P. M. At the Quarterly Conference it was resolved "to 




Cabin occupied by Rev. Jacob Adriance in 1859, where he often preached, and in which 
the first Sunday-school in Denver was organized, November 6, 1859. 



hold the next quarterly-meeting in Denver City, if a suitable 
place could be found." 

As the next session was not held in Denver, it is inferred that 
a "suitable place" could not "be obtained." 

The first love-feast was held in Adriance's cabin at 9.30 A. M., 
October 30, 1859. At eleven o'clock on the same day, Rev. Adri- 
ance preached in the "Masonic Hall," which was the first brick 
building erected in either of the two towns, and stood at 240 and 



358 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



242 Eleventh Street. It was then occupied by John Ming. After 
the sermon, Rev. G. W. Fisher administered the sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper, he being the only ordained minister present. 
That evening twenty-two persons were at the prayer-meeting in 
the Adriance cabin, nearly all taking some part in the exercises. 
From this time a weekly prayer-meeting was held regularly. 

During the week following, the two preachers canvassed both 
towns — Auraria and Denver City — to secure subscriptions for 
a church-building. Each town wanted the church; neither could 
build alone, they would not unite; therefore, after a week's effort, 
the enterprise was abandoned. Lots had been previously selected 
in Auraria, and at the southwest corner of Arapahoe and Seven- 
teenth Streets; but reverted to the original owners, because they 
did not build upon them. 

Revs. Jacob Adriance and G. W. Fisher organized a "Union 
Sunday-school" November 6, 1859, m tne Adriance cabin on 
Twelfth Street, between Larimer and Lawrence Streets. Eigh- 
teen persons — six adults and twelve children — were present at the 
first session. The adults were Lewis N. Tappin, D. ^V. Collier, 
O. F. Goldrich, "Aunt Clara Brown," and the two pastors. Mr. 
Goldrich is said to have come across the Plains, wearing a plug 
hat and driving a yoke of oxen. 

The third quarterly-meeting was held January 29 and 30, i860, 
in Auraria, in Adriance's log cabin. A local preacher by the 
name of Huett, from Southern Illinois, preached at 2.30 P. M. 
of the first day. The Quarterly Conference was presided over 
by Rev. Adriance. A prayer-meeting was held that evening. 
After the love-feast on Sabbath morning, Rev. Huett preached, 
and Rev. Fisher administered the sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
per. Rev. Adriance preached at the "Missouri House" at night. 
This quarterly-meeting was protracted for two weeks, and was 
the first meeting of the kind in the Rocky Mountain regions. 
The result was two conversions and five additions to the Church. 
"Aunt Clara" Brown, a colored lady, was the only female who 
took part in these meetings. She was not afraid to talk of Jesus 
and his love anywhere or to anybody. She afterward moved to 
Central City. One morning about five o'clock she was walking 
up Eureka Gulch, just above where the Methodist Episcopal 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



359 



church now stands, with a basket of clothes on her head, singing 
as she strode along under her heavy burden. Taking her load 
down for a moment, and seating herself to rest, she began clap- 
ping her hands and shouting, "Bless the Lord! Bless the Lord! 
I am so happy this morning." A prominent lawyer, passing 
just then, hearing her songs of praise and expressions of joy, 
said to himself, as he walked on, "What is it that makes that 
colored woman so happy? She certainly must have something 




Second Building used for Church Purposes by the Methodists in Denver. 



that I have not." That reflection, after a little, became the means 

of his conversion. 

"Aunt Clara" returned to Denver, where she was favorably 

known for many years, and triumphantly closed her earthly career 

in September, 1885, greatly beloved by all. 

Rev. Adriance, writing of his experience at this time, says: 
"Until cold weather, it was my custom to canvass both sides 

of the creek, once in three weeks, for a place to hold services 

on the following Sabbath, in Auraria in the morning, and in 



3 6 ° 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Denver for the afternoon. Usually a store-building in process 
of erection, or one not yet occupied, could be found, but seldom 
twice in the same place. I would then post up notices at the 
post-office and in different parts of the town, naming place and 
time of services, inviting the people there. At the given time 
I would be on hand, fix up some seats, and begin to sing. In a 
few minutes the room would be full of men, many standing about 
the doors and windows, orderly and quiet, as I pointed them to 
the 'Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,' and 
to the true riches that fadeth not away. In the winter we were 
compelled to have services a part of the time in my cabin, as it 
was the best place that could be had on that side of the creek. 
A family from Missouri, keeping a boarding-house in Denver, 
opened their dining-room for services. Later, a family by the 
name of Coleman did the same in Auraria. So we had a perma- 
nent place for worship for three months in Denver, and two in 
Auraria, during the Conference year." 

During the summer of i860 many of the official meetings 
were held in the carpenter-shop of Brother J. C. Anderson, now 
of Des Moines, Iowa. In 1862 a carpenter-shop, built by Mr. 
Henry C. Brown the year previous, was purchased and fitted up 
for Church purposes by the Methodists of Denver. In this one- 
story frame building the "Rocky Mountain," now "Colorado 
Conference," was organized, July 10, 1863. This structure stood 
on the present site of the Circle Railroad Depot, near the west 
end of the Larimer Street bridge, and was swept away by the 
Cherry Creek flood in the early morning of May 20, 1864. 

On July 22, 1863, the "First Methodist Episcopal Church of 
Denver" was incorporated. The following is an exact copy of 
the document: "Know all men by these presents, that Mr. John 
Evans, Hiram Burton, Andrew J. Gill, and John Cree, citizens of 
Denver City, in the Territory of Colorado, have this day organ- 
ized a religious society in said Denver City under the name of 
'The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Denver,' and that John 
Evans, Hiram Burton, John C. Anderson, John Cree, and John 
M. Chivington are the trustees duly appointed for said society. 
(Signed,) John Evans, A. J. Gill, John Cree, and Hiram Burton." 

This paper was duly acknowledged before Andrew Sagendorf, 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



361 



Notary Public, and properly recorded in Book 4, page 67, Arapa- 
hoe County Records. 

Bishop Ames, in his farsightedness, saw the need of a better 
church edifice, and, as an encouragement to others, offered to 
give $1,000, provided they would build a brick church, 50x80 
feet, centrally located, and have it completed by January 1, 1865. 




IyAWRENCE Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Corner of Fourteenth 
and Lawrence Streets. 



Several of the brethren questioned the advisability of attempting 
it now, as they had commenced the construction of the Colorado 
Seminary, and most of them were men of moderate means. Gov- 
ernor John Evans more than duplicated the bishop's offer. Will- 
iam Slaughter, presiding elder, aided by others, circulated a 
subscription paper for this purpose, and the work of building went 



3b2 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



forward. On Saturday evening, February n, 1865, Rev. George 
Richardson, now of Argo, preached the first sermon in the 
newly-erected church, at the corner of Lawrence and Fourteenth 
Streets, to a large and appreciative audience. Afterward the 
Quarterly Conference w T as held, Rev. O. A. Willard, presiding 
elder, in the chair. Among those present were Rev. George 
Richardson, the pastor; Rev. B. T. Vincent, Colonel John M. 
Chivington, and John Cree. A love-feast opened the services 
on Sabbath morning. At eleven o'clock, Rev. O. A. Willard 
preached the dedicatory sermon, on "Temples and Temple Wor- 
ship." Then came the dedicatory exercises. No collection for 
church erection was solicited, as the entire cost had been provided 
for. A quarterly-meeting basket collection of $400 for the pre- 
siding elder was received. Then Colonel Chivington. on behalf 
of himself and a few others, presented Rev. O. A. Willard with 
a valuable gold watch, as a token of their appreciation of what 
he had done in connection with the building of this church; after 
which the Lord's Supper was administered. 

At three P. M. a grand Sunday-school rally was held. Revs. 
Day, Richardson, Vincent, Chivington, Alexander Major, Esq., 
and others gave interesting talks. In the evening the Rev. B. T. 
Vincent, pastor at Central City, preached; subject, ''Worship." 
"Beautiful of expression, bold in originality; charmed the audi- 
ence for a full hour." (Denver News, February 14, 1865.) 

A gentleman by the name of Bell attended the dedicatory 
services, expecting to give two hundred dollars to the building 
fund. No money for that purpose being asked for, he called the 
next evening while the rental of the pews was in progress, and 
paid his two hundred dollars for two pews, saying, "I was bound 
the Church should have that money." 

When we consider that the church cost $21,000, and the semi- 
nary $14,000, the building and paying for both within eighteen 
months sounds more like fiction than truth. 

The pastors before Lawrence Street Church was built were: 
Jacob Adriance, A. P. Allen, W. A. Kenney, O. A. Willard; 
since its erection, George Richardson, George C. Betts, William 
M. Smith, B. T. Vincent two terms, J. R. Eads, Earl Cranston, 
D. D., David H. Moore, D. D„ R. W. Manly, D. D., Gilbert 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 363 

De LaMatyr, D. D., Henry A. Buchtel, D. D., Robert Mclntyre, 
D. D.; Camden M. Coburn, D. D., 1896. 

It was during the pastorate of Dr. Buchtel that Lawrence 
Street Church ceased to exist in name, and "Trinity," on the 
corner of Broadway and Eighteenth Avenue, came into being. 
The corner-stone of this new 
church was laid September 5, 
1887. The name of the Church 
had been changed the July 
previous. The inscription on 
the corner-stone reads : 
"Erected A. D. 1887. Society 
organized August 2, 1859. 
Formerly Lawrence Street 
Church." 

The first plan was to erect 
a building at a cost of not 
over $50,000; but when the 
needs of the growing congre- 
gation were fully considered, 
the plans grew in size, until 
it was found that the church 
would cost about $173,000, 
including the organ, which 
was the gift of Isaac E. Blake, trinity church. 

Esq., and cost $30,000. The 

Trinity property is now valued at $200,000. The church has 
1,600 fixed seats, and an additional seating capacity of about 150, 
Ofttimes from 2,000 to 2,500 have been crowded into it. 

From August 7, 1887, to April 1, 1888, the Sunday-school 
held its sessions in the basement of the First Congregational 
Church. The prayer-meetings were held in the same from Sep- 
tember 4th, until the basement of the new church was opened. 
This took place April 1, 1888, with appropriate ceremonies, 
Bishop H. W. Warren preaching the opening sermon. The sub- 
scriptions taken at this service amounted to $63,000. The Sun- 
day-school moved in that afternoon. 

While this church was being built, the preaching services 




3<H 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



were held in Tabor Grand Opera-house, for which a rental of 
fifty dollars a Sabbath was paid. The great auditorium was 
opened December 20 and 21, 1888. The building is a massive 
stone structure, beautiful in design and perfect in construction; 
admirably adapted to the wants of a great congregation. From 
the sidewalk to the top of the copper cross surmounting the stone 
spire is one hundred and eighty-one feet seven and one-half 
inches. 

H. B. Chamberlain, recently deceased, presented the elegant 
parsonage on Sherman Avenue to the Church, having had it 
built as a memorial to his mother. The furnishings cost the 
Church about two thousand dollars more. 

The presiding elders from i860 to 1896 have been: John M. 
Chivington, B. C. Dennis, Oliver A. Willard, William M. Smith; 
B. T. Vincent, now on his second term; B. F. Crary; J. H. Mer- 
ritt, two terms; Earl Cranston, N. A. Chamberlin. 

While Dr. Cranston was pastor at Lawrence Street, he in- 
vited T. C. Uiff, D. D., of Salt Lake City, to preach for him one 
Sabbath morning. At the close of the sermon a member was 
heard to say: "I do not think Brother Uiff is as good an orator 
as Brother Cranston; but I tell you he has got religion." 

At another time, Dr. Cranston invited an Eastern brother to 
fill his pulpit. The brother preached, and preached, until many 
began to wonder if he ever would get through! The congrega- 
tion was tired out and disgusted. One gentleman was heard to 
remark, when leaving: "I enjoyed the first hour and a half of that 
sermon very well ; but the last four hours and a half were a little 
tedious." 

No history of this Church or of Denver Methodism, or in fact 
of Colorado, would be complete without some reference to the 
life of Ex-Governor Evans. 

John Evans, M. D., was born, March 9, 1814, of Quaker 
parentage, near Waynesville, Warren County, Ohio. Between 
that hearthstone and the crest of the Rocky Mountains lies the 
field of operation of this remarkable man. His parents were of 
Welsh extraction. The name signifies, "The fighting man," and 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



365 



his active life forcibly illustrates its meaning. He graduated from 
the Medical Department of the Cincinnati College in 1838. That 
summer and autumn he spent practicing his profession with the 
vanguard of civilization in the Mississippi Valley, then the wilds 
of farthest Illinois. Early in the winter following he returned 
to his Ohio home, was married, and soon after settled in Attica, 
Indiana. In the winter of 1841 he began advocating the erection 
of a "State Insane Asylum," which he saw completed in due time. 
In 1843 ne became a resident of Indianapolis. In 1845 ne was 
called to a professor's chair in the Rush Medical College of Chi- 
cago, where he remained 
eleven years. During this 
time he projected the Fort 
Wayne & Chicago Railroad, 
and secured the establish- 
ment of the Northwestern 
University at Evanston, a 
new suburb named for him. 
He endowed two chairs in 
this university with $50,000 
each, and has been president 
of the Board of Trustees 
from the beginning. 

He was appointed, by 
President Lincoln, Governor 
of the Colorado Territory 
in 1861. At once he identi- 
fied himself fully with all its 
material, educational, eccle- 
siastical, benevolent, and reformatory interests. He projected 
the Lawrence Street Methodist Episcopal Church, the Colorado 
Seminary, the Denver Pacific Railroad in 1869, the Denver & 
South Park ten years later, then the Denver & Gulf Road, and 
many other enterprises. From 1865-7 ne represented the Colo- 
rado Territory in the United States Congress. The governor 
has not confined his sympathies and material help to the Church 
and educational enterprises of his own denomination, but has 




EX GOVERNOR JOHN EVANS. 



366 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



included in these all denominations. It was his custom for years 
to give at least one hundred dollars to any church built by any 
denomination in Colorado. 

He has also given liberally to "The University of Denver," 
the legitimate successor of the Colorado Seminary, and has taken 
active interest in all that pertained to the development and suc- 
cess of the institution. He died at his home in Denver, in great 
peace and comfort, July 3, 1897, mourned by hosts of friends. 

The first denominational Sunday-school was organized by 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and citizens of Den- 
ver, June 10, i860, in the Masonic Hall, on Ferry, now Eleventh 
Street, J. M. Chivington, presiding elder, in the chair. Samuel 
F. Cort was chosen secretary pro tern. A constitution was 
adopted, and officers elected. From this constitution I quote: 

"Article 2d. Male persons annually paying into the treasury of the 
school the sum of fifty cents, and females twenty- five cents, constitute a 
Board of Managers. 

"Article: 5th. This Board shall elect officers for the school; namely, 
on the fourth Tuesday evening after the adjournment of the Annual Con- 
ference, in which the school is located." 

The next Sabbath, June 17, i860, at two P. M., which was the 
eighty-fifth anniversar}^ of the battle of Bunker Hill, the first 
session of this first Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school was held 
in the Masonic Hall, on Ferry Street. Fifty-six persons were 
present. After the school adjourned, arrangements were made 
to take some part in a Fourth of July celebration. It was decided 
to invite the "Union School," which had been organized seven 
months before, to join with them. The following Sabbath the 
superintendent announced that the other school would unite with 
them in the Fourth of July celebration. Shortly after this, the 
"Union School" was absorbed by the Methodist Episcopal Sun- 
day-school, which had for sixteen months no permanent place of 
meeting. They were accustomed to meet in unfinished buildings, 
or in halls of various kinds. 

February 10, 1861, a new superintendent was elected, who 
held the position for seven months, when A. J. Gill was elected 
with W. D. Pease, since of Cheyenne, Wyoming, secretary and 
treasurer. 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



367 



September 21, 1861, a new constitution, prepared by Rev. 
W. A. Kenney, W. D. Pease, and Rev. John Gilliland, was 
adopted. 

The school was now christened, "The First Methodist Epis- 
copal Sunday-school of Denver City, Colorado Territory." Oc- 
tober 6, 1 861, the little Methodist Episcopal Church, South, on 
the corner of Fourteenth and Arapahoe Streets, the present site 
of the "Haish Manual Training-school building," was rented for 
one year. 

"Article 2d. The teachers, pastor, and Bible class shall be consti- 
tuted a Board of Managers, to meet semi-annually, the first Saturday 
evening in September and the first Tuesday evening in March, at the 
call of the superintendent. Five shall constitute a quorum. 

"Article 3D. The Board shall elect all officers." 



The attendance of the school for over two years was from 
sixty to one hundred and seven. The reciting of Scripture verses 
was a practice of the school, 
which amounted sometimes to 
nearly four hundred verses at one 
session. 

The superintendents have 
been: G. Anderson, Rev. J. Gill- 
son, A. J. Gill, Rev. George Rich- 
ardson, Rev. B. T. Vincent, Rev. 
George Skene, Edward Nichol- 
son, George F. Wanless, B. A. 
Wheeler, M. D., Frank Church, 
J. S. Hays, A. J. Sampson; Peter 
Winne, who held the position 
thirteen years; A. L. Doud, 
George S. Van Law, H. L. Shat- 
tuck. 

(The early facts here stated 
are taken from the secretary's book, discovered by J. H. Martin, 
Esq., in April, 1895, among a lot of old papers which he had or- 
dered to be burned. This book records the doings of the school 
and where it met for over two years.) 
24 




PETER WINNE, ESQ. 



3 68 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Methodism has always been an aggressive force. The Meth- 
odist people of Denver have been no exception to this rule. 
When a new section of the city began to build up, a mission Sun- 
day-school was usually started, out of which has frequently grown 
a self-supporting Church. So each Church has widened its bor- 
ders, and strengthened its stakes to meet the spiritual needs of 
each locality. 

As early as 1863 there was a "Denver Circuit," which em- 
braced the valleys of the Platte and its tributaries outside of the 
mountains, excepting Denver City, Golden City, and Boulder. 

It next appears in the Conference Minutes of 1871, when H. J. 
Shaffner was appointed thereto. His appointments were Arvada, 
West Denver, and Bennett Schoolhouse, which stood on the 
Littleton Road, just south of Rufus Clark's residence, now the 
southwest corner of Broadway and Evans Avenue. 

The pastor had his home at the former place most of the year, 
where he lived in a small house of three rooms. In the spring 
of 1872 he built for himself a brick residence on the southeast 
corner of Twenty-fifth and California Streets, in Denver. Before 
it was finished he moved in, and began to preach and hold prayer 
and class meetings in the same. The writer speaks from personal 
knowledge, having attended one or more of these services. Meet- 
ings were continued in this house until the California Street 
church was ready for occupancy. 

The "California Street Methodist Episcopal Church" was or- 
ganized December 23, 1871, with Henry Reitze, J. W. Einder- 
man, H. J. Shaffner, Freeman Merriman, and W. D. Cornwell, 
as trustees. The society was incorporated July 30, 1872, with the 
above-named trustees, Peter Peterson and James J. Hall incor- 
porators. On August 12th following, these trustees bought of 
Conrad Frick and Henry Reitze four lots on the northeast corner 
of California and Twenty-fourth Streets, paying for them $763. 
The deed was given by Baxter Stiles, from whom they had pur- 
chased a half a block of lots. 

The first prayer-meeting was held June 16, 1872, at eight 
P. M., which was led by Rev. Peter Peterson, when four joined 
the Church. Here the first class-meeting was also held. 

The California Street Sunday-school was organized June 16, 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



369 



1872, in a little shanty, used as a schoolhouse, owned by Judge 
Miller, which stood on the corner of Curtis and Twenty-third 
Streets. The officers, elected by Sunday-school Committee, 
were: W. D. Cornwell, superintendent; Henry Reitze, assistant; 
James J. Hall, secretary and librarian; Peter Peterson, treasurer. 
The first monthly Sunday-school meeting was held in the pastor's 
home, June 22, 1872. 

At the Conference session, held August, 1872, Brother Shaff- 
ner reported 54 members, 4 Sunday-schools, with 53 officers and 
teachers, and 275 volumes in library. 

The first quarterly-meeting for this charge was held in the 
pastor's unfinished residence, October 14, 1872, by Dr. Crary, 
presiding elder, who preached and held the Quarterly Conference. 
At this meeting there were present: H. J. Shaffner, pastor; Henry 
Reitze; W. D. Cornwell, local preacher; D. Soggs, J. J. Hall, 
W. T. Carter, and Peter Peterson, local preacher. 

The "California Street Church" was a small frame building 
erected on the rear of the lots next to the alley, on Twenty-fourth 
Street. It was dedicated by Dr. B. F. Crary, presiding elder, 
with usual services, who also raised $600 to clear the building of 
debt. 

The seats used at the opening were borrowed from the Law- 
rence Street Church. Some time during the month of November 
following, permanent seats were put in place, but were not 
painted until later. At this time there were only twenty-seven 
members in the society. 

The pastors have been: Henry J. Shaffner, from July, 1871, 
to August, 1874; J. R. Eads, to August, 1875; R- L. Harford, to 
March, 1876; H. Sinsabaugh, from April, 1876, to March, 1878; 
J. K. Miller, the next three months; and F. C. Millington, from 
August, 1878, to August, 1881. On September 10, 1879, tne 
pastor started a subscription paper for the purpose of building 
a parsonage, which was completed without debt, and occupied 
by him on December 9th following. During the early winter of 
1 88 1, a good revival was enjoyed by the Church. About twenty 
souls were converted as the result of this effort. 

The next pastor was O. L. Fisher, who remained three years 
from August, 1881. During his administration the church and 



37o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



parsonage were both enlarged. John Wilson was then pastor, 
from August, 1884, to March 3, 1885. when he was called to his 
heavenly reward. J. Whisler succeeded until July, 1886; then 
G. N. Eldridge until August 5, 1889, when the "California Street 
Methodist Episcopal Church" ceased to exist, and became the 
"Christ Methodist Episcopal Church," with a church home at 
the corner of Ogden and Twenty-second Avenue. 

On the 30th of July, 1889 (just seventeen 
years to a day from the incorporation of the 
California Street Church), the corner-stone of 
Christ Church was laid. The inscription on 
the stone is: 




ERECTED A. D. 1889. 

SOCIETY ORGANIZED IN 1871. 
Formerly California Street Church. 



The services were con- 
ducted by Bishop Henry W. 
Warren and Rev. G. N. Eld- 
ridge, pastor, assisted by 
others. 

This is one of the hand- 
somest churches in Denver. 
It is 74 x 90 feet, is a two- 
story, Gothic structure, and 
is built of gray lava-stone, 
tastefully ornamented with 
red sandstone trimmings. 
Its spire, the tallest in the 
city, is one hundred and ninety feet high. 

Bishop Warren preached the opening sermon, in the basement 
at three P. M., December 29, 1889. During Dr. Barnes's pastor- 
ate the services were held in this room. He became the pastor in 
1890, and Claudius B. Spencer in 1892. The fine auditorium 
was opened for services July 2, 1892, the pastor preaching the 
sermon. H. E. Warner was their pastor in 1895-6, during which 
time the debt on the church was provided for. 



Christ Methodist Episcopal Church. 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



371 



The "West Denver Mission Sunday-school" was started by 
Peter Winne, O. C. Milleson, and several others, June 6, 1869. 
They met in the old arsenal, on the corner of Eleventh and Law- 
rence Streets, the present site of the Washington school-building. 
June 1, 1872, the school was changed to a Methodist Episcopal 
Sunday-school by Rev. H. J. Shaffner, the pastor. The following 
officers were elected: W. T. Carter, superintendent; T. W. Par- 
ker, assistant; Lyman Brooker, treasurer. At its first monthly 
meeting, September 25, 1872, the following were elected teachers: 
P. Peterson, W. T. Carter, Oliver C. 
Milleson, Lyman Brooker, Joseph Mead, 
J. M. Acker, and T. M. Parker. Rev. 
H. J. ShafTner preached regu- 
larly in the West Denver 
Schoolhouse, beginning Oc- 
tober 22, 1871. July, 1873, 
James P. Dew was appointed 
to North and West Denver and 
Littleton. The last named was 
soon after placed with the 
Plumb Creek work. The next 
year the pastor reported at the 
Conference session 2 Sunday- 
schools, with 24 officers and 
teachers and 200 scholars; no 
members and 40 probationers; 
2 local preachers and one-fourth 

of a church, St. James in West Denver, valued at $1,400. The 
next year, 1875, a full church, valued at $4,000, was returned from 
this charge. The pastors have been: H. J. Shaffner, 1871-2; 
James P. Dew, 1873-4; F. C. Millington, 1875-7, wno built and 
paid for a brick parsonage of four rooms, which was afterward 
enlarged by adding two rooms: H. S. Plilton, 1878-80; B. W. 
Baker, 1881-2; Isaac H. Beardsley, 1883-4; J. F. Harris, 1885-6; 
C. W. Brewer, 1887-8; G. W. Ray, 1889 to 1893. During this 
last pastorate the first church-building was taken down, and a 
beautiful two-story edifice was erected, at a cost of $20,000. The 
later pastors have been: F. S. Beggs, 1893; C. B. Allen, 1894-6, 




N §^.dANiEs HE. Church, Denver. 



372 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



under whose pastorate the debt contracted in the erection of the 
new church is being gradually discharged. Prosperity character- 
izes all lines of work, and is especially manifest in the social means 
of grace. He has had, under God's benedictions, an almost con- 
tinuous revival. This is largely due to the elevated gospel stand- 
ard kept before the people all the time. Where this is done, the. 
work of the Lord always prospers. 

About the time the West Denver Mission was started, Peter 
Winne, Mrs. Sarah E. Jones, Edward Nicholson, Dyner N. Gard- 
ner, and Fred O. Persons started an African Mission Sunday- 
school, on Holliday (now Market) Street, between Seventeenth 
and Eighteenth Streets. This was a summer school, and was 
kept up for two seasons. It was usually held in a vacant build- 
ing at four P. M. Out of this has grown the "Zion's Baptist 
Church," and possibly also the "St. John's African Methodist 
Episcopal Church," having its church home at the corner of 
Twenty-third Street and Washington Avenue. 

The "First German Methodist Episcopal Church" was organ- 
ized, October 20, 1872, at 351 Holliday (now Market) Street, 
by Rev. Philip Kuhl, who was the first German Methodist min- 
ister appointed to work in Colorado. This society consisted of 
eleven members. The services during the first year were held 
in the then City Hall, at the place above-mentioned, morning and 
evening. 

The first Quarterly Conference was held November 8, 1872, 
when it was unanimously resolved to buy two lots on the corner 
of Arapahoe and Eighteenth Streets, where a church, 36 x 60 
feet, of Gothic architecture, was erected the following summer, 
and was dedicated by Bishop Bowman, October 21, 1873. The 
building and parsonage connected therewith cost $14,000. 

The first Board of Trustees was: Hon. John Evans, John P. 
Fink, Henry Reitze, S. H. Elbert, Conrad Frick, F. E. Hahn, 
and C. A. Kuhl. 

The first German Sunday-school was organized in January, 
!873, with F. E. Hahn as superintendent, followed by Philip 
Feldhauser, Henry Reitze, Charles Ecker, Conrad Frick, and 
Fred Krueger. 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



373 



The pastors have been: Philip Kuhl, J. J. Leist, M. Klaiber, 
D. D., C. H. Kriege, J. J. Schultz, each three years; Jacob Tanner, 
one year; Fred Hausser, five years; Henry Bruns, in 1892; J. 
Koehler, 1896. 

In December, 1886, the "First German Church" and lots were 
sold for $25,000, and a new church was built on the northwest 
corner of Twenty-fifth and California Streets, with a Sunday- 
school room, class-room, parsonage, and two brick houses of five 
rooms each for rental purposes. 

The Swedish Mission building, on South Eleventh Street, 
was purchased by the First German Society, and given to the 
"West Denver German Mission," which had been started in 1884. 
The pastors here have been: E. H. Kinge, Joseph Feidler, H. 
Krueger, L. H. Hessel, A. D. Stueckeman. 

The Third German Mission, also assisted by the First Ger- 
man society, was started in North Denver in 1886, and a church 
built in 1888. This charge has been served by the following 
brethren: Joseph Feidler, Paul Wuefel, F. Reichard, H. Krueger, 
L. J. Hessel, A. D. Stueckeman. 

A German Methodist Mission was commenced at Pueblo in 
1890 by Rev. Fred Hausser, of the First German Church, Denver, 
whose traveling expenses were paid by the Denver Church. He 
visited Pueblo, and preached there every four weeks for two 
years. Through the assistance of Conrad Frick, of Denver, lots 
were bought for a church and a parsonage, costing $750. In 
1892 Rev. W. L. Myer was appointed pastor, with a society of 
nine members. Incorporation papers were made out, and steps 
taken to secure a permanent church home. In 1893 a parsonage 
was built and paid for, aided by the German Churches of Denver. 
A church edifice was bought in 1894, and moved to the lot. The 
work prospers under the blessing of God. 

Among those prominent in bringing about this success in 
the German work is Conrad Frick, born in Bavaria, Germany, 
May 4, 1836. Pie landed in New York, April, 1853. Spent one 
year in New Jersey, and then came to St. Joseph, Missouri, where 
he remained six years. He was converted in 1857, and identified 
himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church ; came to the moun- 
tains in March, 1861, spent a year in Central City, and then 



374 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



opened a shoestore in Denver, April, 1862, where he has resided 
ever since. During all these years he has been a leading member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church here, identified with the old 
Lawrence Street Church, and later with the German Methodist 
work. 

B. T. Vincent, while pastor of Lawrence Street Church, as- 
sisted by H. H. Mund, Mrs. Mund, Robert Davis, and Mrs. 
C. H. Deane, organized a Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school 
in a two-story frame building, which had formerly been used as 
a barn and ice-house, at 49 Antelope Street, near South Thir- 
teenth. The persons above-named were elected officers and 
teachers. About twenty-five scholars were present. The school 
continued its meetings here until the Evans Memorial Chapel 
was completed, in the summer of 1878. One year after its organ- 
ization, the Quarterly Conference of Lawrence Street Church 
confirmed H. H. Mund as superintendent of the "Evans Mission 
Sunday-school," by which name the school was known until it 
was moved into the new "Chapel;" since then, "The Evans Chapel 
Sunday-school." 

Realizing the importance of the work begun, Rev. B. T. Vin- 
cent and Peter Winne called on Ex-Governor Evans to secure 
the best possible arrangement for a building site for a new 
church, and for the erection of a temporary frame building for 
the use of the Sunday-school. Suggestions were made, and the 
matter was taken under advisement by the Governor. 

After some delay, the neat and tasty church edifice, known as 
the "Evans Memorial Church" was erected. The building at that 
time cost $13,000, and the Conference, at its session in Golden 
in 1878, was asked by Ex-Governor Evans to supply its pulpit. 
It was dedicated by Bishop Simpson, October 10, 1878, in mem- 
ory of Ex-Governor Evans's daughter, Josephine, deceased wife 
of Judge S. H. Elbert. 

The first pastor of this Church was Horatio S. Hilton, who 
served in this capacity, in connection with the St. James pastorate, 
for two years. The next was J. F. McClelland, 1880-81. At that 
time there were only five names on the roll of membership. One 
of these could not be found, another did not know that he be- 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



375 



longed! Ex-Governor Evans's pew that year cost him $1,400. 
The pastor's health failed in the middle of the last year, and Dr. 
D. H. Moore, chancellor of the University of Denver, filled out 
the vacancy. The third pastor was C. W. Buoy, who, after a 
year and a half of faithful service, returned to Philadelphia. Dr. 
Moore was again called to act as pastor pro tern. E. T. Curnick 
and Henry A. Buchtel, D. D., followed, each for one year, and 
Gilbert De La Matyr, D. D., for three years. During this last 
pastorate, "Grace," the Queen of the connection, was erected 
beside the Evans Memorial Chapel, on the corner of South Four- 
teenth and Olive Streets. It is built of red sandstone, in purest 
Gothic architecture, surmounted by a beautiful spire, and cost 
$85,000. Including the adjoining chapels and lots, it is valued 
at $1 18,000. The organ cost $10,000. The parsonage is valued at 
$12,000. It is only justice to all concerned to say that Ex-Gov- 
ernor Evans has been by far the largest contributor in all these 
enterprises. 

A. H. Lucas was pastor from 1889 to 1891. Following him 
came J. R. Shannon, D. D., for five years, and A. H. Briggs, 
D. D., 1896. 

On March 22, 1873, Rev. H. J. Shaffner preached the first ser- 
mon in North Denver, in a vacant store-building, and organized 
a Sunday-school and a society with twenty-one members. Dex- 
ter Soggs was appointed class-leader, and the following trustees: 
Dexter Soggs, Thomas Manchester, J. R. Preston, James Wild, 
Richard Sheriff, Eldridge Rider, and A. Wood. 

Rev. Shaffner, writing from his California home, says: "I 
bought the first grounds for the church. Ex-Governor Evans 
gave me $500 to pay for the lots. These were afterwards sold, 
and a church built." 

Rev. James P. Dew preached regularly in the Ashland school- 
building for two years, residing in a frame house on the corner 
of Central and Sixteenth Streets, w T hich he had built for himself. 

For some cause the appointment of North Denver was 
dropped from 1875 to 1878, when Rev. F. C. Millington, pastor 
of California Street, took it up again, conducting a Sunday-school 
and preached occasionally; but his duties elsewhere were such 



376 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



he could not give it much attention. Once more it was lost to 
view until September 5, 1880, when Rev. H. C. King, a super- 
numerary member of the Conference, and a realty agent on the 
North Side, reorganized the Sunday-school, and on the 26th of 
the same month reorganized the society with eleven members, 
meeting in the Ashland School-building, where he preached regu- 
larly once a Sabbath. 

In October, steps were taken to consider the advisability of 
selling their lots on Eighteenth Street, and reinvesting on the cor- 
ner of Sixteenth and Boulder Streets, and of building a house of 
worship. This was accordingly done, and the corner-stone of the 
first church edifice was laid July 3, 1881. November 20th follow- 
ing, it was occupied for worship, and was dedicated by Bishop 
Foster, July 30, 1882. The pews were not put in until the winter 
and spring of 1886-7, when it was finished and the floors carpeted. 
The parsonage was built by Rev. O. L. Fisher in the autumn of 
1885, his family moving in on December 7th of that year. 

T. A. Uzzell was pastor in 1882; S. W. Thornton in 1883; 
O. L. Fisher, 1884-6; J. F. Harris, 1887-90. While Brother 
Harris was pastor, the North Denver Methodist Episcopal 
Church ceased to exist as a corporation, and the "Asbury Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church" came into being, with a church home 
on the corner of Bert and Fay Streets, the most commanding 
Methodist Church site in the city. 

The building is two stories, 83 x 92 feet, built of lava-stone, 
with Manitou red-stone trimmings. The style of architecture is 
Romanesque. The building is massive in appearance, with heavy 
arches and solid stone tower rising to the height of one hundred 
feet. The corner-stone of this handsome edifice was laid April 
2, 1890, by Bishop H. W. Warren, with appropriate ceremonies, 
U. Z. Gilmer was the pastor in 1891-2. M. W. Hissey followed 
him in 1893, having a good revival the following winter, his ven- 
erable father doing most of the preaching. During the summer 
of 1894 he secured the donation of material from an unknown 
friend (Bishop H. W. Warren delivering twenty lectures in the 
East in June, 1894, devoting the net proceeds, $750, to this pur- 
pose), and voluntary labor from his people, and proceeded to 
finish the beautiful audience-room, which was thrown open to the 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



377 



public for the first time on Sabbath morning, September 9, 1894, 
Chancellor McDowell preaching the sermon. A plan is on foot 
now to remove the indebtedness. 

Through the influence of Drs. Moore and Cranston and B. W. 
Baker, pastor of the St. James Church, a plot of ground, 87 x 125 
feet on the southwest corner of Beckwourth and South Water 
Streets, was given by Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Sumner for a new 
church site. On the evenings of March 3 and 4, 1882, a taber- 
nacle, to be used as a place 
of worship, was erected 
thereon by George McClel- 
land and seven others. Here 
the Beckwourth Street Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church was 
organized on March 5, 1882, 
by the pastor of the St. James 
Methodist Episcopal Church, 
with eight members, William 
J. Graves class-leader. Soon 
after this John Brownson, 
wife, and five others united 
with the new society. At 
the same time and place the 
Methodist Episcopal Sun- 
day-school was organized, 
the pastor, B. W. Baker, act- 
ing as superintendent, and 
Henry Woodbury secretary, 
which position he held for 
two or three years. The school numbered forty on the first Sab- 
bath it met. In April following, George McClelland was elected 
superintendent. The first subscription paper for the church- 
building was dated February 24, 1882. The church was erected 
the following summer, and cost $1,537.40. 

From 1882 to 1884 this Mission was connected with the St. 
James Church. From 1884 to 1886 it was associated with the 
Simpson Church Mission. At the Conference of 1886 it was set 
apart as a station. 



Asbury 

V\.L CHURCH. 




378 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The pastors have been: B. W. Baker, 1882; I. H. Bearclsley, 
1883-4; J. W. Linn, 1884-6; H. L. Beardsley, 1887. During his 
pastorship the church name was changed to "Fifth Avenue," to 
correspond with the changed name of the street. Then S. W. 
Thornton in 1888-89; while he was pastor the city was having 
a rapid growth, and it became necessary to enlarge the church 
twice to accommodate the ever-increasing congregations which 
waited on his popular ministry. He also secured the erection of 
a two-story brick parsonage beside the church. The subsequent 
pastors have been: N. A. Chamberlain, 1890-91; J. H. Merritt, 
1892; E. J. Wilcox, 1893-5; Robert Sanderson, 1896. 

The "Simpson Mission" was started by Rev. O. L. Fisher, 
then pastor of California Street Church, in April, 1882, in a pri- 
vate house, 1 133 Holliday, now Market, Street. A class was or- 
ganized with the following members: W. R. Hester and wife, 
Rose Osborn, George Crigler, wife, and Lucinda Krake. The 
chapel on McClellan Street was built that autumn, and enlarged 
in 1883. 

In August, 1884, this Mission was connected with the Beck- 
wourth Street Mission, with John W. Linn pastor. This relation 
continued for two years, when it became a station, with H. D. 
Seckner pastor. During his pastorate of four years the old 
church property was sold, and lots were bought on the corner 
of Lafayette Street and Thirty-seventh Avenue, where the present 
church-building was erected at a cost of $5,100. For the next 
year and a half J. T. Musgrove was the pastor. He was followed 
by J. T. Pender to 1894; then R. M. Barnes, D. D., 1894-5; H. L. 
Beardsley, 1896. 

In 1888 the Rev. John Collins was appointed to a newly- 
formed charge, called "Rocky Ford." Upon his arrival there, 
he found that a sister denomination had occupied the field so fully 
that there was hardly room for another. His mother being in 
poor health and the field of labor not at all promising, he thought 
it best to ask for a change, and came at once to Denver. Here 
he consulted his presiding elder and others, with the result that 
he concluded to open a new work in South Denver. The result 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



379 



has been several new churches and nine years of successful work 
in this part of the city. 

He held his first service in the schoolhouse at Valverde, on 
September 30, 1888, using for his text 1 Timothy iv, 8. There 
had been services held at this place by city pastors in former 
years. The writer preached there on November 2, 1884, and, 
through the different city pastors, services were held regularly 
till the Conference session of 1885. In 1887 the Rev. H. T. 
Beardsley, then pastor at Beckwourth Street Mission, began 
preaching there again, and continued this every two weeks regu- 
larly, until the Conference met in 1888. Brother Collins coming 
into this field soon after, took up and continued the work with 
remarkable results. 

On October 14th a Board of Trustees was elected, and soon 
after incorporated. The society was duly organized December 
30, 1888, with six members, John Furry being the class-leader. 
July 5, 1889, the corporate name of the Church was changed to 
"The Wright Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church of Val- 
verde." A church-building was erected and opened September 
22, 1889, by N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder, and others. A 
Methodist Sunday-school was organized on the next Sabbath, 
September 29, 1889. Bishop Warren dedicated the church Feb- 
ruary 16, 1890. The pastors have been: John Collins, G. H. 
Smith, Thomas Bithei, J. F. Irwin, W. D. Phifer, W. H. Haupt, 
F. L. L. Hiller. 

The first service was held at the Flemings Grove School- 
house, October 14, 1888. A society was organized here Decem- 
ber 30th, with five members, Webster Daniels being the class- 
leader. Incorporation was secured soon after the election of trus- 
tees, February 4, 1889. February 10th the "Union Sunday- 
school" became a "Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school," with 
the consent of all concerned. On February 9, 1890, Bishop War- 
ren opened the church with appropriate services, and the next 
Sabbath the Sunday-school moved in and was reorganized. The 
church was named "The Cameron Memorial Methodist Epis- 
copal Church." Its pastors have been: John Collins, A. K. Stab- 
ler, W. I. Taylor, Robert Sanderson; J. F. CofYman, 1896. 

Regular services were resumed at Littleton, after a long sus- 



3 8o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



pension, in November, 1890. The society and Sunday-school 
were organized by Brother Collins on December 7th following. 
February 10, 1891, Bishop Warren formally opened the tent for 
religious worship. John Collins, F. C. Schofield, F. L. L. Hiller, 
and O. L. Orton have been the pastors. 

Brother Collins also held the first religious services at Fort 
Logan July 10, 1892. During this Conference year subscriptions 
were started for new churches at Rosedale and at Myrtle Hill. 
The first service was held at the latter place February 5, 1893, and 
the Sunday-school was organized at a private residence. The 
society was started on July 30th following. The church was 
opened for worship by Chancellor McDowell, September 3, 1893, 
and dedicated by Dr. Vincent, presiding elder, September 8, 1895. 
The pastors here have been: John Collins, G. F. Mead, W. D. 
Phifer, R. E. Meyers. 

On July 2, 1893, Brother Collins began preaching at the 
Broadway Heights. Mrs. John Collins organized the Sunday- 
school in Rosedale, August 20, 1893, and preaching services were 
begun there on the next Sabbath. The society was organized 
January 7, 1894, and the Church incorporated February 14, 1893, 
as the "Warren Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church." The 
building was dedicated by Bishop Warren, December 17, 1893. 
The corporate name of the Church was changed, March 5, 1895, 
to "The Collins Chapel." At this writing (1896) John Collins 
has been the only pastor. 

An earnest conviction prevailed that more should be done 
for the Master in the rapidly-growing city of Denver, so at the 
Conference session in July, 1890, O. L. Fisher was appointed 
"Superintendent of City Missions." The larger Churches pledged 
the greater portion of his salary. This, with his Conference rela- 
tion and authority, meant business from the very beginning. In 
the spring just previous a Sunday-school had been started in the 
hall of the Chamber of Commerce. This school Brother Fisher 
soon moved across the street to the old "Lawrence Street 
Church," and there organized "The Church of the Strangers," 
in connection with its services, with appropriate opening cere- 
monies. 

Of the organization of the "Grant Avenue Methodist Epis- 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



381 



copal Church" and its Sunday-school, Brother Fisher writes: 
"Three laymen came to my office in the city, and said, 'There 
ought to be a mission near Broadway, south of Cherry Creek.' 
I called a meeting at my house in the early part of November, 
1890. Five came. A few days later I held another meeting, with 
seven. Then I leased a lot on Sherman Avenue, and commenced 
to erect a tabernacle. Nine mechanics came with lanterns, and 
worked for two or three hours each night for eleven nights, when 
it was done. On the first Sabbath of December, 1890, the taber- 
nacle was opened, a Church and Sunday-school organized. In 
six months we had -almost one hundred members, and over one 
hundred in the Sunday-school. Just six months from its organ- 
ization, June 9th, at a morning service the congregation sub- 
scribed over $1,400 for the support of a pastor the coming Con- 
ference year." 

A church was erected in the fall of 1891. The pastors here 
have been: R. A. Chase, M. A. Casey, J. T. Pender, and W. F. 
Conner, 1896. 

The Greenwood society, in Globeville, was started in the fall 
of 1890, with eleven members. The "Union Sunday-school" was 
changed to a Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school. In the spring 
of 1891 the society began the erection of a church, w T hich was 
completed during the pastorate of the incoming pastor, H. D. 
Seckner. He was succeeded in this charge by C. W. Huett for 
three years, and C. C. P. Hiller, 1895-6. 

Brother Fisher also started Sunday-schools and societies at 
Highland Place, Ellsworth, South Eleventh, and Millison's, in 
January, 1891. He held services in all of these places. A Church 
enterprise was begun at Berkley, in February, 1891, by organ- 
izing a Ladies' Aid Society, and setting out to build a church. 
Two months after, the walls were up. Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. 
Clayton, and S. E. Bishop started a Sunday-school on the floor 
of the church, before the roof was on. A class of twelve mem- 
bers was organized June 21, 189 1. H. D. Seckner, the succeed- 
ing pastor, completed the church, and in 1892 built a six-room 
brick parsonage, costing $1,100. H. W. H. Butler became the 
pastor in 1895-6. 

Brother Fisher, as superintendent, reported at the Conference 



382 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



session in 1891, 28 probationers, 105 members, 6 Sunday-schools, 
62 officers and teachers, 750 scholars, and Church property valued 
at $3,500. 

The Rev. John R. Wood was appointed in 1891 to "City 
Missions," Denver. All but the "Grant Avenue," "Greenwood," 
and "Berkley" Missions were turned over to him. The "Church 
of the Strangers" was moved by him to Eleventh Street, between 
Larimer and Lawrence Streets. 

In 1892 it was moved to the corner of Larimer and Eighth 
Streets, where good work has been done for three years. It has 
now moved into a chapel of its own, at the corner of Blake and 
Eighth Streets, and is known as the "Eighth Street Mission." 

The Millison Mission, reorganized this year, has grown con- 
tinuously. At first it occupied a tent, then a hall, where Sunday- 
school, Epworth League, and regular preaching services are held. 

The South Eleventh Street Mission has had a varied history. * 
Its tabernacle was blown down twice; then it met in a hall for 
some months; now it has a cozy church, which is called "Wesley 
Chapel," and stands near the corner of Ellsworth and South 
Eleventh Streets. 

Highland Place, like its Master, had its birth in a stable, 
which it continued to use up to November, 1896. The present 
pastor has erected and is using a small brick church. The pas- 
tors have been: C. W. Harned, 1892; J. W. Flesher, 1893-4; 
A. B. Glockner, 1895; C. H. Koyl, 1896. These brethren have 
done and are doing the Master's work manfully. 

Brother W^ood erected a tabernacle, and established a mission 
also at Edgewater, Ruby Avenue, now called "Lake Park," and 
on Market, near Thirtieth Streets. This is now called "The 
Briggs Mission," and is located on Market, near Thirty-second 
Street. This tent and furnishings were from the St. James 
Church, West Denver. 

In several of these missions the writer held revival services for 
a period of twelve weeks, during the winter and spring of 1892. 

The report of the superintendent at the Conference session of 
1892 says: City Missions — 7 Sunday-schools, 125 officers and 
teachers, 600 scholars, 25 probationers, and 67 members. 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 



383 



In 1892, by the request of the Annual Conference, the new 
Denver District was formed, embracing the city of Denver and 
a portion of the vicinity. The "City Missions" were placed under 
the supervision of the presiding elder, who usually employs 
university students to conduct the several missions. 

"The Epworth Mission," on Columbine Street, near Thirty- 
third, was started by the Epworth League of Simpson Church, 
in the fall of 1892. Their pastor, J. T. Pender, raised the money 
by lecturing, and paid for the "Tent of Meeting." A neat brick 
church has just been completed for the use of this mission. 

A Sunday-school and society were organized at the Overland 
Cotton-mills, March 25, 1895, by the Rev. W. D. Phifer. Just 
sixty days from that date a neat church was dedicated, free of 
debt, costing $1,630. The society had twenty-one members, and 
the Sunday-school fifty. 

Missions have recently been started at "Oakes" and "Coro- 
nado," in the vicinity of the University Park, and are also sup- 
plied by students. 

Most of these missions will soon, under the blessing of God, 
develop into self-supporting Churches, with their Sunday-schools, 
Epworth Leagues, and other agencies for helping society. Thus 
the work is being pushed in Denver and in this whole region. 
God be praised for his goodness to the children of men! 

The L T niversity Park Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- 
ized September 10, 1894, with fifty-six members, when Presiding 
Elder Vincent appointed A. B. Hyde, D. D., pastor. A Sunday- 
school had been in existence for over two years previous. In 
1896, N. S. Albright, D. D., a recent addition to the teaching 
force of the Iliff School of Theology, was given the pastorate 
of this society. 

EPISCOPAL RESIDENCE. 

Th£ General Conference of 1884 established an Episcopal 
Residence in Denver, which was selected by Bishop H. W. War- 
ren, D. D., as his home. 

Bishop Warren was elected to the episcopacy from the pas- 
torate in 1880. He came directly from the seat of the General 
Conference to begin his episcopal work in Colorado, by presiding 
25 



384 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



over this body that year. His episcopal home had been assigned 
him for the quadrennium in Atlanta, Ga. 

His first presiding was characterized by that far-reaching 
comprehension of the needs of the work and kindly sympathy 
with the workers that has been shown through his years of de- 
votion to the Master's cause. The attachments have been mu- 
tual and permanent — in one instance at least! 




BISHOP H. W. WARREN, D. D., LL. D. 

He was united in marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth Iliff, Decem- 
ber 27, 1883, at tne Evans Memorial Church, by Bishop Simpson. 
This event brought into Colorado Methodism a new, important, 
and forceful factor. In the following year his episcopal home 
was established in Denver, and when not engaged in his official 



METHODISM IN DENVER. 385 

duties, he has been at or near his home, overseeing and caring 
for the Churches; identifying himself fully with the frontier pas- 
tors in all their interests. In all these years he has been a man 
of one work, and has shown marked ability in building up the 
educational, spiritual, and material interests of the Church in 
Colorado. The Churches of all this greater West, as well as 
those of Denver, have felt the throb of his pulse and the genius 
of his individuality. His money and that of his excellent wife 
has been distributed with a liberal hand to many of these enter- 
prises. Long may they live to serve and bless humanity! is the 
prayer of many hearts in this Rocky Mountain region. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. 

Rkv. M. Bradford, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, organized a small society in Denver, in i860. He secured 
lots for a permanent Church home, on the corner of Fourteenth 
and Arapahoe Streets, which is now the site of the Haish Manual 
Training-school of the University of Denver. Here he began 
erecting a plain house of worship, which effort was interrupted 
by the outbreaking of the war. He returned to the South. This 
property was afterwards sold to the Episcopal Church, and the 
"St. John's Church in the Wilderness" was established there. 
Dean Hart's Cathedral is its legitimate successor. 

In 1871, Rev. A. A. Morrison started the Church again, se- 
cured lots on Arapahoe Street, between Eighteenth and Nine- 
teenth Streets, on which a small house of worship was erected. 
This building was afterwards traded for a larger one, on the 
corner of Twentieth and Curtis Streets, in which this congrega- 
tion worshiped for several years. In 1888 they sold this property, 
and erected the "St. Paul's" on the corner of Twenty-first and 
Welton Streets. 

The names of the pastors serving this society, with the dates 
of their appointment, have been: A. A. Morrison, D. D., July 
16, 1871 ; E. A. Mann, from July to October 8, 1873, when W. H. 
Warren took his place; W. C. Hearn, September, 1874; W. G. 
Miller, 1876; W. Harris, 1877; W. J. Phillip, 1878; C. B. Riddick, 
1880; J. D. B.ush, 1882; J. M. Major, July 20, 1883, to October, 
when J. C. Morris was appointed; F. B. Carroll, D. D., 1885; 



386 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



W. F. Packard, 1886; W. T. Boiling, 1888; J. M. Crowe, 1890; 
J. A. Duncan, 1891; J. H. Ledbetter, 1894-5. 

In 1880, the "Morrison Memorial" Chapel was begun on the 
corner of Thirty-second Avenue and Lafayette Street. This 
building and its adjoining parsonage have been enlarged and 
improved several times, so that they now assume handsome pro- 
portions, and constitute a valuable property. This society has 
had a varied experience. While it has done a good work on the 
whole, it has not made much numerical progress. 

FREE METHODIST CHURCH. 

Th£ Free Methodist Church was organized, August 19, 1883, 
in the St. James Methodist Episcopal Church, Denver, by Rev. 
Hiram A. Crouch. 

John P. Eckel, a godly man, of blessed memory, was the 
class-leader for several years. Their pastors have been: H. A. 
Crouch, J. H. Oney, C. W. Stamp, J. F. Garrett, J. W. Glazier, 
J. B. Roberts, W. T. Warren, and J. A. DeFoe. 

About a year after their organization, they bought the West- 
minster Tabernacle, then standing on the corner of Tenth and 
Champa Streets. This building was subsequently moved out on 
South Water, between Third and Fourth Avenues, where the 
society has greatly prospered. 



XIII. 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 

Methodism was born in Oxford University. Its founder was 
a man of broad scholarship, as well as of deep piety. His follow- 
ers everywhere have ever encouraged the highest degree of men- 
tal and moral culture. True to Methodistic antecedents, "The 
Rocky Mountain Conference/' at its organization, considered 
the question of education, and adopted the following, on July 12, 
1863, namely: 

"Your Committee on Education would report as follows: 

"Whereas, The future of the Church depends in a great degree upon 
the action of the present; and 

"Whereas, The training of the youth of our country forms a most 
important part of that action; therefore, 

"Resolved, That we will foster and incite, by our influence, both 
official and individual, efforts to secure a proper mental training to the 
youth of Colorado. 

Denver Seminary. 
"Resolved, That we view with satisfaction the progress already made 
by the trustees of Denver Seminary; that we heartily approve the offi- 
cers selected for its management, and the steps already taken for the 
erection of its buildings, and the liberality of the people who contributed 
to its financial stability. 

Golden City. 

"Resolved, That we also look with pleasure upon the efforts recently 
made in Golden City towards erecting a college building, to be placed 
under the control of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and would recommend it to the patronage of the 
Conference and to the liberality of the Church throughout its bounds. 

"(Signed,) O. A. Wieeard." 

This was the incipient step of all higher educational move- 
ments in the Rocky Mountain region. Some of the features of 
this report will provoke a smile, especially when the condition 
of society at that date in the Territory is taken into account, most 
expecting to remain only for a short time, and then return to 
the "States," to enjoy their fortunes. 

The "Golden City College" scheme appears never to have 

387 



3 88 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



reached maturity, as we hear nothing more of it in the later his- 
tory of the work. 

The next educational reference of importance appears in the 
following official document: 

"AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE COLORADO 
SEMINARY. 

"Be it enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of 
Colorado Territory: 

"Section i. That John Evans, Samuel H. Elbert, W. N. Byers, H. 
Burton, A. B. Case, J. G. Vawter, A. J. Gill, W. D. Pease, Edwin Scud- 
der, J. H. Morrison, Warren Hussey, J. W. Smith, D. H. Moffatt, Jr., 
R. E. Whitsitt, C. A. Cook, John Cree, Amos Steck, J. M. Chivington, 
J. B. Doyle, Henry Henson, Amos Widner, John T. Lynch, Milo Lee, 
J. B. Chaffee, Lewis Jones, O. A. Willard, W. A. H. Loveland, Robert 
Berry, be, and they are hereby, constituted a body politic and corporate 
for the purpose of founding, directing, and maintaining an institution of 
learning, to be styled the Colorado Seminary," etc. 

"Approved, March 5, 1864, by John Evans, Governor." 

In October, 1864, the "Colorado Conference" (now called) 
took the following action: 

"Your Committee is glad to report the progress of the educational 
interests of the Church in the Territory, as especially shown in the favor- 
able view of, and the successful labor in, connection with the 

Colorado Seminary. 

"This institution, incorporated by the Territorial Legislature of last 
winter, has a regularly-constituted Board of Trustees, and a fine build- 
ing, located at Denver. The building has cost about $14,000, and no 
debt remains upon it. A corps of teachers is daily expected, to open the 
seminary for the reception of pupils. Your Committee recommend the 
appointment of a Committee of Visitors, consisting of two members 
of the Conference. We offer for your adoption the following resolutions: 

"1. That the portion of the Board of Trustees of the seminary whose 
term expires with this Conference session be reappointed. 

"2. That the members and friends of our Church be especially re- 
quested to patronize the seminary by sending their own, and encourag- 
ing the attendance of the children of others. 

"3. That we will preach at least one sermon on education during the 
year, particularly presenting the interests of the Colorado Seminary to 
our congregations. (Signed,) B. T. Vincent, 

"C. W. Johnson." 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



389 



Page 15 of the Colorado Conference Minutes of 1864 has the 
following advertisement, in large letters : 

"Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Colorado Semi- 
nary for Ladies and Gentlemen, Denver, Colorado. Executive Board: 
Hon. John Evans, Chairman; Colonel J. M. Chivington, Hon. Edwin 
Scudder, J. G. Vawter, Esq., William N. Byers, Esq., Rev. G. S. Phillips, 
A. M., president, assisted by competent teachers. The scholastic year 
is divided into three terms, of fall, winter, and spring. A short vacation 
will follow the fall and winter terms. The spring term will be followed 
with a vacation during the months of July and August. Tuition per 
term: Primary Department, $15; Preparatory Department, $20; Academic 
Department, $30. 

"Ancient and Modern Languages, Music and various Ornamental 
Branches charged extra. Gymnastic and Callisthenic Instruction free 
of charge. All payments required strictly in advance. 

"Young ladies in the Boarding Department will be under the care 
of the matron of the institution. They will furnish their own rooms, fuel, 
and lights. Boarding and washing will be furnished at rates as low as 
the times will possibly admit. Those wishing to place young ladies, 
misses, or boys in the Boarding Department, will inform the president 
immediately. Young gentlemen can procure boarding in private families." 

The Conference of June, 1865, adopted the following: 

"Your committee, to whom was referred the subject of Education, 
would report as follows: 

"Whereas, The education of the people is justly regarded by thought- 
ful men as the only guarantee of liberal institutions and basis of religious 
faith; therefore, 

"Resolved, 1. That we regard with great interest, and will encourage 
all efforts, either secular or religious, which tend to the mental culture 
of the young people of Colorado. 

"2. That we scorn to imitate the bigotry of those who regard with 
aversion educational movements which dare to exist and succeed inde- 
pendent of themselves or their sect. 

Colorado Seminary. 
"Your committee is grateful at the prosperity of this institution. 
The first term began November 14, 1864. President Phillips, its first 
president, was soon taken from the post of labor, first by sickness, and 
finally by death. Embarrassed to some extent by the necessity of fre- 
quent change of teachers, it has still averaged from the beginning until 
Conference about seventy students. Its facilities have been greatly en- 
larged, and its future grows daily more encouraging. At present the 
Faculty consists of the following teachers: 



39Q 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



"Rev. George Richardson, president; Miss S. E. Morgan, preceptress; 
Mrs. M. B. Willard, teacher of music; Mrs. J. B. Richardson, matron. 
The facilities for boarding and rooms render the institution worthy the 
examination and patronage of those whose home educational facilities 
are inadequate. We recommend the appointment of Rev. George Rich- 
ardson by the bishop to the post to which he has been duly elected by 
the Executive Board of the seminary. We also urge our preachers to do 
all in their power to advance the influence and patronage of this school. 

"(Signed,) O. A. Wizard, Chairman." 

The Conference Minutes of 1865 contains a similar advertise- 
ment to the one of the year previous, with the addition of vocal 
and instrumental music, also drawing and painting. 

The Conference of 1866, said in its report on the Colorado 
Seminary: 

"This institution has greatly prospered during the past year, under 
the presidency of Rev. George Richardson, assisted by four valuable 
teachers for the several departments. The average attendance of pupils 
for the year has been one hundred, and the most perfect satisfaction has 
been given in their instructions. The trustees have with regret been 
compelled to accept the resignation of Mr. Richardson. . . . We rec- 
ommend the appointment of a Conference Visiting Committee, consist- 
ing of W. M. Smith, W. W. Baldwin, and the Pastor of Denver Church. 

"(Signed,) B. T. Vincent. 

"O. P. McMains." 

Another "ad" is found in the Minutes of this year, of the 
Colorado Seminary, similar to that of the preceding years: 

At the Conference of 1867, Ex-Governor John Evans, chair- 
man of the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Seminary, reported 
as follows, but the report was not printed in the Conference 
Minutes, namely: 

"To the Colorado Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church: 

"In behalf of the trustees of the Colorado Seminary, I submit the 
following report of the condition and operation of the institution: 

"It has an eligible site, centrally located, in the city of Denver, com- 
prising nearly half a block. Upon this has been erected a fine brick 
building, 65 x 36 feet, two stories high, with large and pleasant rooms in 
the attic, and finished in a substantial manner. It is conveniently ar- 
ranged for the purposes of the institution, and is furnished. 

"The entire property at present prices is estimated to be worth over 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



391 



twenty thousand dollars. There is an indebtedness of about three thou- 
sand dollars against the institution. 

"It was opened for the reception of students in the winter of 1864-5, 
under the presidency of Rev. George S. Phillips, whose failing health 
prevented him from continuing in charge of the institution. He retired 
early the following spring, to return to his family and friends in Ohio, 
where a few days after his arrival he died. 

"Rev. George Richardson succeeded him in charge of the institution 
the remainder of that and the succeeding year. Since he left the institu- 
tion to engage in the pastoral work, it has, during the past year just 
closed, been under the care and management of Rev. B. T. Vincent. 
However, having pastoral charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
Denver City, he has been able to devote but a portion of his time to the 
institution; Miss Sarah Morgan, for the last two years a faithful and 
able member of its board of teachers, having taken the principal manage- 
ment of its affairs during the year. 

"During the first year one hundred and three students were admitted 
to the institution; the second year one hundred and eighty-six; the past 
year one hundred and thirty-six. 

"If the means can be secured to liquidate the present indebtedness, 
it is the design of the Executive Committee, if possible, to secure a com- 
petent president, who will devote his whole time and energies to the work 
of teaching and building up the institution. 

"In opening an institution of this character, in a new and sparsely- 
settled country, where the means of subsistence have been very high, the 
Executive Committee and those in charge of the institution have met with 
many serious embarrassments, which, it is hoped, will be a less formi- 
dable character hereafter. 

"In closing this brief statement, it would not be proper to omit to 
mention that in the conception of the enterprise; in the prosecution of 
the work of erecting buildings and procuring the ground on which to 
locate them; in obtaining from the public the contributions by which it 
was founded; also in the organization and management of the enterprise 
generally, the public and the Church are greatly indebted to the able, 
zealous, and efficient labors of Rev. O. A. Willard, who acted as agent 
for the institution. 

"The charter of the seminary is one of the most liberal of its kind, 
comprising all the necessary powers for building up a permanent and 
extensive educational institution. It names twenty-eight persons as the 
first Board of Trustees, and provides that their successors shall be ap- 
pointed by the Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
within whose bounds Denver City may be included. Seven of these were 
to go out of office annually on the 1st day of July of each year after 1864; 
the terms of those named in the charter to be fixed by lot, and their suc- 
cessors to remain in office four years. 

"At the first and only meeting of the Board of Trustees, as authorized 



392 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



by the charter, the management was placed in the hands of an Executive 
Committee, and the trustees were determined by lot. 

"But in the flood of May 20, 1864, the records of the meeting were 
carried away, with all the papers of the secretary (Mr. William N. Byers), 
in Cherry Creek. It being impossible to tell whose terms have expired, 
it has been thought best to have the entire Board stand, as designated 
in the charter, until the Annual Conference of 1868, when their terms 
will all have expired. They continue in office until their successors are 
appointed. 

The attention of the Conference is, however, directed to the propriety 
of filling, by appointment, at this time the places of such trustees as have 
died or permanently removed from the Territory. 

"Believing that a good work has already been accomplished by the 
institution, and that it is capable of being made more abundantly useful, 
it is commended to the fostering care of the Conference, and to the pat- 
ronage and support of the people of Colorado. 

"Respectfully submitted. 
"(Signed), John Evans, Ch'm Ex. Com. Colorado Seminary." 

Rev. B. T. Vincent, L. M. Veasy, Daniel Witter, Fred Z. 
Solomon, and Rev. William M. Smith were elected to fill the 
known vacancies. 

The Conference adopted the following as its report for that 
year: 

''Resolved, That the preachers on Denver District be instructed to 
collect as fast as possible the Centenary money, and pay as much of it as 
was devoted to the Colorado Seminary Endowment Fund into the hands 
of Hon. John Evans, who is hereby constituted trustee of this fund. 

"Resolved, That we regard the design of the trustees, as stated in 
their report, of the first importance, and our judgment is that they ought 
immediately to provide for the payment of the debt on the seminary, and 
secure the services of a competent president." 

The "embarrassments" continuing, the school was not opened 
for the following school year, as is evident from the fact that 
when the Capital was changed from "Golden City" to Denver, 
in December, 1867, the Executive and House of Representatives 
found a home in the Colorado Seminary building. 

Ex-Governor Evans said in a speech (June 27, 1883): "The 
Colorado Seminary, chartered, by special Act of the Legislature, 
March 5, 1864, prospered for a time, but ran in debt for current 



ED UCA TIONA L INSTITUTIONS. 



393 



expenses. The Board borrowed three thousand dollars at three 
per cent per month. It was finally sold for the debt." 

The Conference of 1868 elected a full Board of Trustees, as 
is here given, namely: For four years, John Evans, W. H. H. 
Loveland, C. M. Tyler, Rev. G. H. Adams, John W. Smith, 
H. M. Teller; for three years, R. E. Whitsitt, J. M. Veasy, 
S. H. Elbert, W. N. Byers, Rev. William M. Smith, J. M. Chaffee, 




Colorado Seminary, and Governor Evans's Residence in the Distance. 

William M. Roworth; for two years, H. Burton, D. H. Moffatt, 
Jr., Hiram Witter, Robert Berry, Edwin Scudder, Rev. W. W. 
Baldwin, Henry Henson; for one year, W. D. Pease, S. M. Rich- 
ardson, J. H. Morrison, G. M. Chilcott, John Cree, John T. 
Lynch, Rev. George Murray. 

The above is the first full list of the trustees of which we have 
any record, except that given in the charter. 

The future of the Colorado Seminary appeared so dark in 
1869, that some friends of education inaugurated a plan for a 
"Fountain College" at Colorado City, and published a large cir- 
cular setting forth the plans of the new enterprise, with Wray 
Beattie, A. M., as president, and John M. Mansfield, A. M., as 
professor of Languages, etc. Rev. George Murray, agent. This 
was the first and last heard of this laudable undertaking. 



394 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The Committee on Education offered the following resolu- 
tions, which were adopted at the Conference session in Central 
City, June, 1869: 

''Resolved, That we respectfully but earnestly urge the trustees of the 
Colorado Seminary, located in Denver, to active effort for its relief from, 
pecuniary embarrassment; also to put it, as early as possible, into active 
operation under their more immediate control. 

"Resolved, That Peter Winne, J. M. Driggs, J. H. Morrison, George 
M. Chilcott, John Cree, J. L. Peck, and George Murray, be, and are 
hereby, reappointed as trustees of said seminary." 

Rev. J. E. Peck presented the following resolution, which 
was adopted at the Conference session of 1870: 

"Resolved, That we learn with regret of the financial embarrassment 
of the Colorado Seminary, located at Denver, and whatever may be the 
action of the trustees thereof, we most respectfully urge them to guard 
well our educational interests." 

In the Conference Minutes of 1 871, a more hopeful outlook 

appears in the following words: 

"Resolved, That we learn with pleasure that the financial embarrass- 
ments, which have so long retarded the prosperity of the Colorado Semi- 
nary, are, under the providence of God and the kindness of friends, likely 
soon to be removed." 

At the session of 1872, the following statement was made by 
the Educational Committee: 

"We are glad to note that the building known as the Colorado Semi- 
nary is still in the possession of the excellent brethren who have saved 
it from falling into unmethodistic hands, and these brethren are rapidly 
reducing the debt, with a view to the restoration of the property to the 
use and the possession of the Conference." 

In 1873 there was no immediate prospect of the liquidation 
of the debt. The situation remained unchanged in 1874. Hon. 
John Evans presented to the Conference a plan for a "Union 
Evangelical University," under the control of the leading de- 
nominations. A committee of three was appointed by the Con- 
ference to consider the feasibility of the plan, which was declared, 
"Not likely soon to be put into operation." 



ED UCA TIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



395 



The report stated that the Conference, through the liberality 
of Hon. John Evans, still has the power to redeem the seminary 
property in Denver. At the Conference of 1876, Hon. John Evans 
offered to liquidate the debt, of nearly $5,000, against the semi- 
nary building in Denver, on the condition that the Conference 
raise $10,000 to add a wing to it for dormitories and such other 
purposes as will fit it for a first-class school. 

In 1877 the educational collection from the entire Conference 
was only $27.20. The seminary property this year had been re- 
deemed, and was reported as, "Now in the hands of our highly 
esteemed Brother Evans." 

In 1878, "The subject of education was committed to the 
Trustees of the Preachers' Aid Society," w T ith power to act in 
the name of the Conference. 

Rev. F. C. Millington, president of the Society, had made the 
question of education in Colorado a subject of special prayer, and 
as he came from an hour's private audience with Deity, his eyes 
moistened with tears, he w r as heard to say, "I have prayed it 
through; we will have a university in Denver yet." 

God had spoken to him, "According to your faith be it unto 
you;" and so it w r as. In the spring of 1879 ne called a meeting 
of the members of the Society — others were present by special 
invitation — at Ex-Governor Evans's office in Denver, to consider 
what plans, if any, could be adopted to secure the re-establish- 
ment of the Colorado Seminary. He had carefully prepared a 
series of resolutions looking to this end, to offer for their con- 
sideration. Before he had an opportunity to present them, Ex- 
Governor Evans arose, and made an admirable address on the 
need, possibility, and importance of at once reopening the Colo- 
rado Seminary, and closed with this remark: "If you gentlemen 
will now undertake to reorganize this institution, all there is of 
the old Colorado Seminary is placed at your disposal." 

All thought now centered in this proposition, and arrange- 
ments were made to call a Conference Educational Convention, 
to consider all questions relating thereto. On leaving the office, 
Brother Millington remarked: "I had a plan thought out as to 
how to remove the indebtedness and reorganize the school, but 
the Governor's offer was good enough for me!" 



396 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

The following item is the record made at the ensuing session 
of the Annual Conference, held in Pueblo: 

"The Board, after due deliberation, called an Educational Conven- 
tion, which assembled in Denver, the ioth of June last. It was com- 
posed of delegates, ministerial and lay, who, after careful deliberation 
concerning the condition of our work in practical education, were en- 
couraged by the generous propositions of Hon. John Evans, to regard 
as possible the early reopening of the Colorado Seminary," which had 
been practically closed for twelve long years. 

At that session the Board of Trustees was filled to the legal 
number, several of the old members, holding over under the 
charter, being re-elected. Upon the organization of this new 
Board, John Evans was chosen president, J. W. Bailey, vice-presi- 
dent, Earl Cranston, secretary, and John A. Clough, treasurer. 
Earl Cranston was made chairman of the Finance and Building 
Committees. F. C. Millington, Jesse Durbin, and others were 
also members of these committees. 

The clouds were dispelled and the light dawned, largely 
through the efficient labors of Rev. Earl Cranston, D. D., who 
was, under God, the inspiration in putting the seminary on its 
feet again. Ex-Governor Evans and others came manfully to 
his aid. The governor promptly donated the old seminary prop- 
erty on Fourteenth and Arapahoe Streets, valued at $20,000, and 
$3,000 cash additional, for the purchase of the chemical and 
physical apparatus. 

Mr. John W. Bailey gave $10,000 cash, and subsequently lots 
that sold for $3,000 more. Other friends added to the above 
about $20,000 more. 

The old building was remodeled, with a front of 1 1 5 feet and 
a depth of 100 feet, and an average height of four stories. The 
Conference report, from which the above is largely condensed, 
said: "Six thousand dollars more is needed to finish the building, 
and an additional hall for male students, which will cost $8,000." 

Rev. David H. Moore, D. D., was elected president in 1880, 
with eight assistant teachers. On October 4th the "Colorado 
Seminary and University of Denver" was thrown open for stu- 
dents, with thirty enrolled. Bishop Simpson made an admirable 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



397 



opening address. Ere the year closed, one hundred and fifty were 
in attendance. 

Constitution op the University of Denver. 

"Article i. The name of this society shall be, The University of 
Denver. 

"Article 2. The object of this society shall be the advancement of 
the educational interests of Colorado; the promotion of liberal culture in 
all the sciences, arts, and learned professions; and to form a university 
which shall have power to establish a system of instruction in any or all 
of the departments of learning; to create fellowships; to appoint a Board 
of Examiners, and, upon examination or satisfactory recommendation, 
to confer marks of distinction and all degrees, honorary or otherwise, 
usual to a university, upon all such candidates as shall be found worthy 
thereof. 

"Article 3. The members of this society shall be the secretary, for 
the time being, of the Colorado Annual Conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church; and the secretaries (while in office) of such Annual 
Conferences as shall hereafter be organized within the territory now oc- 
cupied by the said Colorado Annual Conference; the presiding elders, 
for the time being, of the aforesaid Annual Conference, or Conferences; 
the president, for time being, of the Colorado Seminary; and the mem- 
bers of the Executive Committee, for the time being, of the Board of 
Trustes of said Colorado Seminary, together with such honorary members 
as they may from time to time elect. 

"Article 4. The officers of this society shall consist of a Board of 
seven trustees, who shall be elected by ballot annually on the first Tues- 
day in September, and shall hold their office until their successors shall 
have been chosen; and the following named persons, viz., John Evans, 
O. L. Fisher, J. Durbin, John W. Bailey, John A. Clough, Earl Cranston, 
and J. H. Merritt, shall constitute such Board of Trustees until the first 
regular election, and until their successors are elected. There shall be a 
president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary, and such other offi- 
cers as shall be provided for by the by-laws of the society, all of whom 
shall be elected by the Board of Trustees. 

"Article 5. The trustees of this society shall have power to make 
all such necessary and prudential by-laws, not inconsistent with the con- 
stitution and laws of the State, as they may deem proper for the man- 
agement of the affairs of the society. 

"Article 6. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote 
of two-thirds of all members of this society." 

"Adopted June 24, 1880." 

The above document was prepared by Judge Mills, now de- 
ceased. 



39« 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



In 1881 a large wing, 45 x 65 feet, four stories high, for the 
accommodation of male students, was erected, at a cost of about 
$16,000. In the fall of that year the College of Medicine was 
opened, and in 1882 the Business College. The second year of 
the new regime found 320 students enrolled, and the third year 
405. In 1883, an additional structure, practically adapted to the 
work of the "Jum° r Preparatory" Department, was erected, at a 
cost of something more than $7,000. 

Dr. Cranston was the leader in all these building enterprises, 
holding his quarterly-meetings here and there over a large dis- 
trict, and then hastening home by the first conveyance, in order 
to solicit contributions from the citizens of Denver and other 
places to pay the workmen from week to week as the work of 
improvement went forward. It is to the credit of the financial 



bank, and these were made on the individual credit of the mem- 
bers of the Finance Committee. At the completion of the first 
building, and. the wing which was soon after added, there was 
due on building account only about $2,000. In all these years 
of unpaid labors, Dr. Cranston was constantly and ably seconded 
by Rev. F. C. Millington, who never faltered in his devotion to 
the enterprise, and who succeeded Dr. Cranston as the secretary 
of the Board. 

In 1885, Brother Millington was elected financial agent of the 
university, and after that gave his whole time to the advancement 
of its interests, visiting nearly every town in the State, and sev- 
eral in Wyoming and Utah, to raise money for the endowment 
of the university, or to procure gifts of land and money for Uni- 
versity Park. No instituion ever had a more devoted friend. 



University of Denver and Colorado Seminary. 




managers of this enter- 
prise that during this 
period of rehabilitation 
no contractor was ever 
embarrassed by delay in 
receiving payments due. 
His money was ready 
for him when due. This 
sometimes required tem- 
porary loans from the 



ED UCA TIONA L INSTITUTIONS. 



399 



He at once ceased to work and live. The report in the Confer- 
ence memoir in 1888, said of him: "University Park spread out in 
immortal green, and lettered with the beautiful residences of the 
future, is a scroll to his fame, as imperishable as the mountains 
which stand guard over it." 

November 14, 1884, was a glad day in the history of the 
institution, for on that day Mrs. Elizabeth Ieiee Warren 
offered to endow a School of Theology with $100,000, in connec- 
tion with the University of Denver, on the condition that $50,000 
additional be added to the En- 
dowment Fund of that institu- 
tion. At once the trustees 
resolved to raise that amount 
by the sale of five hundred and 
fifty scholarships at one hun- 
dred dollars each. The effort 
was partly successful, and on 
Mrs. Warren's side was fully 
complied with. The cut ac- 
companying this, an excellent 
one, is inserted without her 
knowledge. 

From the Conference re- 
port of 1885 I select the fol- 
lowing 1 just tribute to its chan- 

° ' . MRS. ELIZABETH IUFF WARREN. 

cellor: 'loo much praise can 

not be bestowed upon the wise, persistent, and successful man- 
agement of Dr. Moore, who has so grandly carried the institution 
through the first and critical stage of its existence, and planted 
it so firmly in the hearts of the people. We owe to him a debt of 
gratitude we shall never be able to pay. He has done a work 
for which he can never be rewarded until he hears the 'Well done' 
of the Master." 

It should be recorded that Dr. Moore was, during the first 
five years, personally and solely responsible for the financial obli- 
gations of the institution. He bought every bedstead, chair, 
table, desk, piano, and other article of furnishing that went into 
26 





4oo 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



the buildings. He paid the teachers, coal, light, and other 
bills, and entertained with unstinted hospitality. He also gave 
free tuition to the sons and daughters of preachers. It is not too 
much to say that he was, in his own person, the endowment and 
soul of the institution, from the day of his inauguration to the 
day of his departure. The inability of the Board to provide ex- 
pected endowment only inspired in him sublimer courage and 
more self-sacrificing effort. It is no marvel that he was beloved 
by the students, and held in highest regard by the people of 
Colorado. Everywhere he created enthusiasm for the university 
The power of his magnetic personality was an inspiration to 
students, teachers, and the entire Church. 

In 1885, the School of Manual Training became an estab- 
lished fact. Through the influence of Bishop H. W. Warren, 
Jacob Haish, of DeKalb, Illinois, gave $25,000 to procure the site, 
and erect the building on the southeast corner of Fourteenth and 
Arapahoe Streets, known as "The Haish , Manual Training- 
school" of "The University of Denver," the corner-stone of 
which was laid, July 13, 1887, by the Grand Lodge of Colorado, 
Free and Accepted Masons, assisted by Bishops Walden and 
Warren, who made addresses. During the following year the 
donor added $15,000 for the enlargement of the building. 

The site of University Park, a suburb to the city of Denver, 
was secured, through the untiring efforts of the financial agent, 
donated by Rufus Clark in 1887, and in 1888 was commended to 
our people, as a suitable place of residence, by the Conference. 

This year H. B. Chamberlin, Esq., gave notice of his inten- 
tion to erect therein, and equip at his own expense, a first-class 
Astronomical Observatory, costing not less than $50,000. 

In order to meet the growing needs of the school, E. T. 
Ailing, Esq., introduced a resolution in the Board of Trustees, 
that a hundred persons be found who would guarantee to make 
up all deficiencies in the running expenses of the institution up 
to a given amount, which was adopted. 

At this meeting of the Board, in 1889, Dr. D. H. Moore ten- 
dered his resignation as chancellor of the university. 

On July 3, 1889, at a called meeting of the trustees and other 
friends of the university, at her then residence, corner of Eighteenth 



ED UCA TIONA L INSTITUTIONS. 



401 



and Curtis Streets, Denver, Mrs. Elizabeth Iliff Warren, who had 
promised, on November 14, 1884, an endowment to the Univer- 
sity of Denver, on certain conditions, which had not been fully 
met, announced with a spirit of noble generosity that she was 
ready to give her individual note for the $100,000, at six per cent 
per annum, payable in five years, for the endowment of the 
School of Theology of the University of Denver. This propo- 
sition was gladly accepted 
by the trustees, with 
hearty approval of all who 
were present. 

Then came a welcome 
surprise, in a proposition 
from Mr. William S. 
Iliff, a young man 
twenty-three years of age, 
to give, as a memorial of 
his father, John Wesley 
Iliff, Esq., $50,000 for the 
erection of a building, to 
be used as the home of 
"The Iliff School of The- 



Olot 



closing: with this 




WILLIAM S. ILIFF. 



prayer: "By means of this 
gift may the coming gen- 
erations of men be blessed 
and God be glorified!" 



August 28, 1889, 
Bishop H. W. Warren and 
family gave up their beautiful home in the city, and became the 
only residents of University Park. At that time there were 
neither streets, sidewalks, nor water for domestic uses nearer 
than half a mile — a worthy social sacrifice in the interest of 
Christian education! 

In view of the many things which the good bishop had done 
for the Church and for education in Colorado, the Conference 



4-02 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



at its session in 1889, stated the following in its report: "Our 
resident bishop, who so magnificently overarches Colorado 
Methodism, fostering and ennobling it, has been felt at every 
step of the university progress, since he came among us. To 
him it owes the calling out of munificence to at least the amount 
of a quarter of a million; to him it owes suggestions, aid, and 
inspiration, and to him is largely due its growing prosperity and 
its expansion into true university life." 




UNIVERSITY HAI,!,. 

At this session, Ex-Governor Evans made the generous prop- 
osition to duplicate every dollar given to the university Endow- 
ment Fund, in cash or its equivalent in good bankable paper, for 
the endowment of the President's Chair and a Woman's Chair. 

The corner-stone of the new University Hall at University 
Park was laid by Bishop H. W. Warren, in the presence of a 
large number of people. On this the following words are in- 
scribed: "The University of Denver. This University Stone was 
laid, April 3, 1890. Pro Scientia et Religione." The site is said to 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



403 



be, by those best competent to judge, the most magnificent of any 
school of learning in the world. 

University Hall stands on a plateau overlooking northwest- 
ward the beautiful city of Denver, and westward the broad valley 
of the South Platte River, and facing the mountains, which, like 
an immense, irregular wall, stretching from north to south, are 
sundered here and there along the slopes with deep furrows or 
canons, and marked by sharp angles. The distance from foot 
to crest has an average of about sixty miles. These lofty heights 
in many places are capped with eternal snow. 

The student standing in the university campus, with one 
sweep of vision takes in over two hundred miles of lofty peaks, 
which pierce the vaulted heavens in cruel jagged lines, from 
Pike's hoary head on the south, to points in the State of Wy- 
oming on the north. That view includes "Pike's," "Warren's," 
"Evans's," Gray's," "Torry's," "James's," "Long's," and many 
other peaks not named. Several of these tower over fourteen 
thousand feet above sea-level. The view of the cragged tips 
of mountain pinnacles set against the blue ethereal can scarcely 
be surpassed in the wide world. University Park, from which 
one has this grand panorama, is over one mile above the ocean 
level. 

During the scholastic year, after the resignation of Chancellor 
Moore, the institution was ably and efficiently presided over by 
Vice-Chancellor A. B. Hyde, D. D., in which time over five hun- 
dred students were in regular attendance. 

In June, 1890, William F. McDowell, A. M., Ph. D., pastor 
of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Tiffin, Ohio, was 
elected chancellor of the university. He has filled the position 
with marked ability, and has won golden opinions on every side 
for breadth of scholarship, depth of spirituality, catholicity of 
spirit, and efficient services along all lines of educational work. 

On July 21, 1890, Ex-Governor John Evans gave lots and 
buildings, valued at $100,000, on Market Street, Denver, for the 
endowment of the Chancellor's and Woman's Chairs, thus com- 
pleting the precedent condition for Mrs. Warren's endowment 
of the IlifT School of Theology. 

The Conference Educational Report of 1891 says: "Assets 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of the university, one and one-half millions. Gifts amount to 
$112,000; wills, $7,000. Eight hundred and ten different students 
in attendance. The chair for the teaching of the English Bible 
established, Bishop H. W. Warren giving $6,300, and Mrs. P. S. 
Bennett, $522." This money made possible the building of the 
"Girls' Cottage," and twenty-two lots in University Park were 




GIRLS' COTTAGE. 



selected, to be held by the trustees for the endowment of the chair 
for teaching the English Bible. "The bishop also gave 'The 
Bethel Cottage,' which cost $5,091." The rent of this building 
is sacredly set apart as a fund, to be used for no other purpose 
only as loans to students financially unable to pay tuition. All 
sums repaid are to be devoted to the same purpose as long as the 
institution exists. 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



405 



In 1892, the report to the Conference said: ''The College of 
'Liberal Arts has been moved to University Park, with two hun- 
dred and forty regular and special students. Wycliffe Cottage 
Home for Girls has been finished, at a cost of $8,462. Univer- 
sity Hall has cost $86,809. Improvements in the School of 
Medicine by its Faculty, $2,500. Sidewalks, $5,000. Total, 
$102,771. The current expense of the school is about $5,000 in 
excess of its receipts; but friends are being obtained, who agree 
to make up this deficit for five years. By this time it is believed 
a permanent endowment will have been secured." The Confer- 
ence, then, after careful deliberation, resolved to endow a chair, 
to be named, "The David H. Moore Chair." Several thousand 
dollars for that purpose was then pledged. 

Rev. Earl Cranston, D. D., offered the following resolutions 
relating to the university, which were adopted with a vim: 

"As every stone in its foundations, consecrated by the toil and sacri- 
fices and prayers of its earliest friends and promoters, is dear to us, so 
shall the superstructure reared thereon by other hands, as willing as theirs 
and no less generous, be our delight and our glory. 

"That we extend to Bishop H. W. Warren our hearty recognition 
of his untiring devotion to our educational interests. 

"That we have entire confidence in the ability, learning, singleness 
of aim, and doctrinal soundness of the Faculty of the university, and 
hereby assure Chancellor McDowell of our determination to crowd the 
classes of the several departments, as far as our influence may contribute 
to that end." 

The Iliff School of Theology was opened September 21, 1892, 
and the Taw School on October 3d. The corner-stone of the 
former building was laid by Bishop H. W. Warren. On this are 
inscribed these precious words: "Jesus Christ himself being the 
Chief Corner-stone, 1892." 

At the Conference session of 1893 it was stated: "That the 
College of Liberal Arts, of Medicine, of Dentistry and Pharmacy, 
of Fine Arts and Music, and School of Law, have all been patron- 
ized above any previous year. The latter closed this, its first 
year, with fifty- three students and six graduates. The Iliff School 
of Theology also closes its first year, with six regular and five 
partial students enrolled. Rev. W. F. Steele, D. D., is professor 



406 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



of Exegetical Theology, and Rev. John R. Van Pelt, Ph. D., 
professor of Systematic and Historical Theology." 

The magnificent building erected for this school is of red 
sandstone, chaste in style and massive in appearance. The in- 
terior is finished in solid oak, has spacious apartments, equipped 
with library, gymnasium, baths, dressing-rooms, and other mod- 
ern conveniences for the comfort and efficiency of all. It is 
lighted by electricity, and heated by a radiating system that 




the; iltff school, of theology. 

changes the air in the entire building every twelve minutes. The 
recitation-rooms are adorned with pictures of the Holy Land, 
and engravings of the most noted pieces of sacred art, presented 
by Mrs. Warren. "The chapel is quiet in decoration, with Gothic 
roof." 

This building was thrown open for the students of the Iliff 
School of Theology in September, 1893. Soon after, when cold 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 



weather set in, on account of the failure in the heating apparatus 
at University Hall, it extended its hospitality to the School of 
Liberal Arts, which occupied it until the Commencement, in 
June, 1894. 

During the present administration, the Schools of Law and 
Theology have been organized, and post-graduate courses of 
study, leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Doc- 
tor of Divinity, have been added. 

The organization of the different schools is now complete, 
this being the first institution west of the Mississippi to embrace 
the full number of schools requisite to constitute a uniyersity. 



THE CHAMBERLIN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY. 




"The observatory is the gift of H. B. Chamberlin, Esq., of 
Denver. It is situated on a plat of fourteen acres, four blocks 
from the college campus, at University Park. There are two 
stone buildings. The 
smaller one of these, 
called the Students' Ob- 
servatory, shelters a six- 
inch equatorial and a two- 
inch transit instrument. 
G. N. Saegmuller, of 
Washington, D. C, is the 
maker of these instru- 
ments; Brashear furnished 
the six-inch objective. The equatorial is provided with divided 
circles, driving clock, filar position micrometer, and helioscope. 

"The main building is 65 feet long, and 50 feet deep. It is 
crowned by an iron dome, the apex of which is more than 50 feet 
from the ground. It is built of red sandstone. The principal 
rooms in the building are the dome-room, transit-room, library, 
computing-room, director's office, clock-room, janitor's quarters, 
sleeping room, photographic-room, and store-room. 

"A twenty-inch equatorial refractor, nearly twenty-six feet in 
focal length, is the principal instrument. Its objective was figured 
by Clark, and is reversible for photography. The subsidiary in- 



CHAMBERIvIN OBSERVATORY. 




TELESCOPE AT CHAMBE R LIN OBSERVATORY. 

408 



ED UCA TIONA L INSTITUTIONS. 



409 



struments are a four-inch meridian circle, two standard clocks, 
a chronometer, a chronograph, a sextant, a solar transit, etc." 

The observatory building was constructed under the personal 
supervision of Dr. H. A. Howe, the astronomer of the institu- 
tion, and is one of the very best of its class. The dome is 34 feet 
in diameter on the inside, and is the same in height from the floor 
to the apex. 

The telescope is one of the most complete instruments in 
existence, though not the largest. The tube was made of steel 
one-twelfth of an inch in thickness. Its lenses cost $11,000, and 
its mountings $10,000 more. The total cost of observatory and 
telescope, including its equipments, was $55,000. About four 
years was occupied on its construction. The instrument was 
placed in position in the summer of 1894 by Professor Howe and 
his assistants, and has since been revealing the glories of the 
heavens, as these can only be revealed in the clear atmosphere 
of Colorado. 

This telescope ranks No. 12 in the whole world, and No. 6 
in the United States. But already, by reason of the superior 
location of the observatory and the superior quality of the tele- 
scope, unusual distinction has been won, both in Europe and 
America, by the work done in the Chamberlin Observatory. 

The possession of this observatory adds greatly to the educa- 
tional advantages of the University of Denver, and should con- 
stitute an attractive force for the school through all the future. 

Of the aims and purposes of the school, as a whole, its man- 
agers say: 

"The university is thoroughly Christian, but in no wise sec- 
tarian, no denominational tests ever having been made as a con- 
dition of membership, either on its Board of Trustees or Faculty, 
or for a place in its ranks as a student. The aim is to produce 
a character at once rich in culture and strong in moral tone." 



THE SECOND DECADE OK CONFER= 
ENCE HISTORY. 

1873. — This session begins the second ten years' period of 
Conference history. There was marked advancement reported 
in all lines of work. The Conference assembled in Greeley, 
Colorado, at nine A. M., July 24, 1873, Bishop E. G. Andrews 
presiding. The Scripture lesson was read by the bishop, when 
B. F. Crary and John L. Dyer led in prayer. 

There were nine transfers into the Conference, and four out 
of it. Six were admitted on trial ; only two remain to this day. 
Several have died ; most of the others have gone to other fields of 
labor. William M. Smith was announced withdrawn from the 
connection. The usual Conference business was finished on the 
fourth day, when the appointments were announced. Thirty-six 
workmen, including three "supplies," were sent forth as toilers 
in the Master's vineyard for the year. George Skene was or- 
dained as a deacon; Henry C. Waltz and Charles W. Blodgett 
as elders. 

A brother who had just returned from the tour of Europe 
and the Holy Land was, by resolution, required to stand before 
the Conference, and receive a reprimand from the bishop for 
leaving his work, though he held in his pocket at the same 
moment the resolution of his Quarterly Conference granting him 
a leave of absence. He was so thunderstruck by this unexpected 
move, that he never thought of defending himself; but stood, at 
the request of the chairman, with bowed head, awaiting his 
pleasure. The reproof of the bishop was in these words: 
"Brother, I am glad you have made the tour of Europe and of 
Palestine. I would do the same had I the time and means. I 
hope you will make good use of the knowledge you have gained!" 

Rev. L. N. Wheeler, of the China Mission, a brother of Dr. 
B. A. Wheeler, of Denver, was a visitor at this session, and con- 
ducted the devotional exercises on the morning of the second 
day. 

410 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 411 

Dr. Crary, presiding elder, in his report, said: "California 
Street began with sixteen members. They have an increase of a 
hundred. A church has been built here, and paid for. Henry 
Skewes has built a church at Frankstown. A parsonage has 
been built at Fairplay. The church at Trinidad is about com- 
pleted. John E. Rickards has explored the San Luis Valley." 

Among many other good things, the Doctor said: "My breth- 
ren have seconded and stood by me. Not one has deserted or 
flinched, notwithstanding some have had to work at daily labor 
for their daily bread. In the time of the French Revolution the 
Girondists gave to the party of the masses the name, 'Sans Cu- 
lotte,' which, translated, simply means, 'without breeches!' Some 
of my men have been almost ready to join that party, but have 
not faltered. On Thanksgiving-day I ate my dinner alone, on 
the banks of the Huerfano, and was thankful that I had any 
dinner. Once I slept under a wagon, twice in one, once in a 
granary, and once in a stable, many times on the ground, and 
many times on the floors of cabins. I have been hungry a few 
times, and have camped out alone in the valleys and on the moun- 
tains. I and my brethren have been together in perilous snow- 
storms on the mountains, but generally we had more good things 
than evil. For all we have all suffered, it is but fair to say we 
have had compensating joys, and many of our trials are the 
merest trifles. Altogether, we hungered some, thirsted a little, 
been cold, wet, weary, homesick, ragged, and a little demoral- 
ized; but an itinerant preacher eighteen hundred years ago gave 
an experience that makes ours almost ridiculous, which he puts 
down as 'light afflictions, which are but for a moment.' Our 
greatest need is 'to be cleansed from all sin,' and 'to be filled with 
the Spirit,' so as to reach all the people with the gospel. Breth- 
ren who want parsonages can build them; those who like good 
churches will find nothing to hinder them as to style. The field 
is clear. If brethren desire places where everything is finished, 
we advise them to travel eastward, at least a thousand miles, be- 
fore they stop to look around them. The more space they can 
put between them and Colorado the better for both parties. The 
greatest power of the Church is in her piety. The baptism of the 
Holy Ghost would help us more than anything else. We need 



412 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



men and money ; but we need, more than all, power from on high 
in our souls and in our lives. We must be entirely consecrated 
to Christ in all things, and then we will reach our highest state 
of efficiency." 

G. H. Adams, presiding elder, reported that, "G. W. Swift 
remained at Cheyenne only six months, when the year was filled 
out by G. A. England. James P. Dew, who supplied Big Thomp- 
son and Cache la Poudre, had a new chapel in process of erec- 
tion at Fort Collins. C. E. Cline supplied Longmont in the ab- 
sence of its pastor. A brick 
church has been erected at Boul- 
der. During the last three 
months W. L. Slutz has been on 
the ground at Caribou and 
Middle Boulder. The parsonage 
at Golden has been enlarged. 
T. C. Watkins supplied Black 
Hawk, after P. McNutt left for 
the Asbury University. W. D. 
Chase vacated Central, which 
has been filled by C. W. Blod- 
gett. Nevada was supplied by 
S. W. Sears, of Pennsylvania, 
six months, when he left. J. A. 
Smith, of the Southern Illinois 
L. j. hai*l. Conference, took his place. 

A month after his wife died, and we laid her to rest on the 
mountain side. They have built a small church, and have it 
nearly paid for. Georgetown was left vacant by T. R. Sheer, 
who went East, when R. L. Harford filled the pulpit. Four 
churches have been dedicated, one each at Greeley, Boulder, 
Nevada, and Longmont." 

Those who came in by transfer were: 




LinvillK J. Hall, from the New England Conference. His 
record, briefly given, is as follows: He was born July 8, 1822, in 
Springfield, Massachusetts; converted at seventeen and twenty- 
seven; attended district, select, and high schools; also theological 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 413 



school under Dr. Dempster, at Concord, N. H.; spent several 
years in different printing-offices and in traveling through South 
and Central Americas, and on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; 
was a "Forty-niner" in California; was licensed to preach in 1853; 
received into the New Hampshire Conference in 1858, and was 
stationed subsequently in Brookline, Peterborough, Lebanon, 
Nashua, Dover, Lawrence; was transferred to the New England 
Conference in 1867, and stationed at Saratoga Street, Boston, 
three years; Waltham, two years; was supernumerary one year, 
when (1873) he came to Colorado. His appointments here have 
been: Colorado City Circuit, two years; Central City, two }^ears; 
Cheyenne, one year; Longmont, two years; Laramie City, three 
years; Canon City, three years; Trinidad, one year. Was ap- 
pointed chaplain of the Colorado Penitentiary in 1887, which he 
filled until July, 1896, when he resigned to accept the chaplaincy 
of the Connecticut State Prison, at Hartford. Brother Hall has 
made a successful record during his twenty-three years in Colo- 
rado. 

Charles W. Blodgktt, from the Des Moines Conference. 
He was born in Evansville, Wisconsin, November 8, 1846; edu- 
cated at Fulton, Illinois, and at Evanston; converted and licensed 
to preach in Des Moines, Iowa, and was afterward pastor of the 
same people. He entered the Union army when a mere boy, and 
was in some of the fiercest conflicts in Tennessee and Arkansas; 
entered the ministry in 1869, in the Des Moines Conference, 
Iowa; was transferred to Colorado in 1873, and stationed at Cen- 
tral City, Georgetown, each two years; then at Colorado Springs 
for nearly the same length of time. He was transferred back to 
his former Conference in 1878. where he has filled important 
stations; was also presiding elder one term. Transferred to the 
Illinois Conference, and stationed at First Church, Galesburg, 
one term of five years; then transferred to the Detroit Confer- 
ence, and appointed to Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church, 
Detroit, Michigan. He was married to Miss Lou Rector, of 
Hamburg, Iowa, September 19, 1872. Brother Blodgett is a 
faithful dispenser of the word of life, and has been remarkably 
successful in revival work and in raising money for missions. 



414 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Gkorgk A. England, from the Wisconsin Conference. He 
served the Church in Cheyenne and Boulder, each two years; 
was then appointed chaplain in the United States army, in 1876; 
withdrew from the Church of his early choice in 1880, and joined 
the Protestant Episcopal Church, with which he is still identified. 

James P. Dew, from the Southern Illinois Conference. He 
was first at Fort Collins, where he built a frame church; then at 




C. W. BIyODGETT. 

North and West Denver, and Littleton, in 1873. In the second 
year this charge was called North and West Denver,. While here 
he built the "St. James" Methodist Episcopal Church ; was trans- 
ferred to the Southern Illinois Conference in 1875, and subse- 
quently to the St. Louis Conference. For several years he has 
filled appointments in and near to Kansas City, Missouri. 

John R. Eads, from the Illinois Conference. He was sta- 
tioned at Pueblo; California Street, Denver, each one year; Law- 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 415 



rence Street, Denver, three years; Golden, two years; was made 
a supernumerary in 1880, and was transferred to the Kentucky 
Conference in 1881. He died at Ashland, Ky., December 25, 
1891. His remains were interred at Paris, 111. He was a devout 
Christian, and an able minister of the New Testament, and his 
name is as "ointment poured forth" in all the Churches where 
he served. He was one of the original eighteen who came out 
from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in the summer of 
1865, and identified themselves 
with the mother Church in Ken- 
tucky. It took no small amount 
of courage to do this in the face 
of the difficulties that then existed. 
It was done, and God blessed them 
and the work they were called 
to do. 

Wm. C. Roby, from the Des 
Moines Conference. He was sent 
to Frankstown, Plumb Creek, and 
Bijou, one year; South Park, two 
years; and Morrison, one year; 
located in 1877, and took a course 
of medicine in the University of 
Denver, when he entered upon its 
practice. He has since entered 
the missionary field as medical 
missionary in Mexico, where he will, no doubt, do his part in the 
evangelization of that land. 

C. G. MilnES, from the Iowa Conference. Stationed at Long- 
mont, two years; made a supernumerary in 1875, an d transferred 
to the California Conference in 1876. 

Thomas M. Dart, from the Upper Iowa Conference. At 
Laramie City, one year ; located in 1874. 

William L. Slutz, from the Pittsburg Conference. Had 
supplied Caribou and Middle Boulder for three months, organ- 
izing that work. Then was at Black Hawk two years, where the 
church was repaired, and a five-room parsonage bought and paid 
27 




416 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



for; Golden, three years; Boulder, one year; and Colorado 
Springs, three years. Here he built a new church, costing 
$15,000, on a central site. He was transferred to the East Ohio 
Conference in 1882, and is now a member of the Ohio Confer- 
ence; has just completed a $40,000 church at London. Ohio. He 
has been a very useful and successful minister of the gospel. 

The following brethren were admitted on trial: 
George Skene. Supplied Idaho Springs the year previous; 
then at Greeley one year; was transferred to the Troy Confer- 
ence in 1874. 

Henry Skewes supplied Cherry Creek in 1872; then South 
Pueblo, two years, where he started a premature Church enter- 
prise, which came to naught; was transferred, in 1875, to the 
Rocky Mountain Conference, now the Utah Mission. 

John E. Rickards. His appointments were: Del Norte and 
Loma, Trinidad, Canon City, each two years; withdrew from the 
Conference in 1879; has since been a lay member of the General 
Conference. He is now (1876) governor of Montana. 

Hiram Hall was sent to Granite, one year; discontinued in 
1874. 

John Stocks was born in Yorkshire, England, February 
5, 1829, and "ceased at once to work and live" in Black Hawk, 
Colorado, September 19, 1886; was converted at the age of thir- 
teen; consciously called to the ministry four years after; came 
to this country in 1872, and found his way to the seat of the 
Conference in Georgetown July 25th of the same year. He was 
sent to the Arkansas River Circuit. This was a new field, without 
a society, Sunday-school, or church of any kind. The settlers 
were widely scattered. He preached as opportunity offered from 
the Kramer Settlement, below Pueblo, eastward for seventy-five 
miles, then southward on the Purgatory, and up that stream for 
forty-five miles. His horseback rides were long and lonely. The 
distance between the river and the creek was about thirty miles, 
without an inhabitant. On one occasion he was benighted, and 
had to lariat his pony out on the prairie. He then lay down in 
as safe a place as possible, and slept some. His morning slum- 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



417 



bers were slightly disturbed by the howling of wolves near by. 
At another time he was bewildered on the banks of this same 
creek, and night came on before he could put himself right. He 
was compelled to tarry for the morning light. The air was chilly. 
He had only one match. Fortunately, on trial it ignited. The 
fire was started near the roots of a huge tree, the trunk of which 
was hollow. After a short time it caught fire, and burned bril- 
liantly until morning. He had an abundance of light and heat 
within a certain radius, but outside of that was utter darkness, 
and in that darkness were wild beasts. He deemed it wise not 
to sleep too near the flaming torch, lest it should come crashing 
down upon him, and equally so not to occupy the space covered 
by the darkness. In the morning he found his way to some 
Mexican cabins, where he was hospitably received. Among 
other things they gave him "chilly" for breakfast. This was the 
warmest chilly he had ever tasted! Ofttimes he found his bed 
already occupied, and his right to sleep therein challenged, which 
produced a most thorough disgust, outraging all thoughts of 
cleanliness and decency. The stolid indifference of the settlers 
to religious things was a source of great trouble to him; but he 
held on with unwavering fidelity. 

His preaching-places were small log schoolhouses, or the 
dwellings of the people. His congregations were small, often 
not more than half a dozen. A few only loved the Lord, and 
encouraged the preacher. These were always glad to see him 
come, which could not be said of others. One Sunday morning 
he preached at Las Animas City to just one young man, from 
John iii, 3, "Except a man be born again, he can not see the 
kingdom of God." That certainly was appropriate! Sometimes 
he rode ninety miles without an opportunity to preach. 

In 1873, ne was sent to the Wet Mountain Valley. There 
were small settlements at Ula, Colfax, and on Texas Creek. 
There were ranches, a short distance from each other, for many 
miles along the center of the valley. Rosita, as a mining-camp, 
was just then attracting some attention. He preached the first 
sermon in that town. In this valley the wife of his youth and 
their babe died. After two years of labor and seventeen months 
of sorrow, he left the valley and the graves of his loved ones. 



418 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



He was appointed, in 1875, to Florence and Hardscrabble. 
He had here six different places of preaching. There were three 
Sunday-schools; one each at Hardscrabble, Coal Creek, and 
Florence. Money for the support of the ministry was not abun- 
dant. His home was at "Uncle" Jesse Frazier's, and his board- 
bill was not heavy. 

At the Conference session in 1876 he was sent to Arvada and 
Wheat Ridge Circuit. "This," he says, "was a misfit, as some 
did not want a preacher at all." 

In 1877 he was ordained elder, and sent to Caribou. Its alti- 
tude is great; frequently higher than the clouds, — and its winters 
are a terror. During the two years of his sojourn on this moun- 
tain height, he secured a site for a church, laid the foundation, 
procured some timber, and paid for it all. His successor, by 
trade a carpenter, completed the work. The result was a little 
gem of a church. One Sabbath morning a gentleman, here, 
handed him $53.05 for missions. He was not a wealthy man; 
only a common laborer. 

At the Conference session of 1879 he was sent to Silver 
Plume. Here he found a church edifice, society, and Sunday- 
school. This was a new experience to him. For two years he 
enjoyed it. 

In 1 88 1 he was removed to Bald Mountain (Nevada), where 
he found a church, parsonage, and a flourishing Sunday-school. 

His next charge was Evans and Big Thompson, and then 
Black Hawk. In 1886 he was returned, and soon after changed 
worlds. 

When his case was brought up for admission to the Confer- 
ence, some one inquired of his presiding elder, "Can he preach?" 
Dr. Crary quickly responded: "You ought to hear him, bishop. 
If any of our colleges should establish a professorship of Re- 
ligion, Brother Stocks is the man that I would recommend for the 
position." This settled it. He was received. His history, here 
given, fitly illustrates much of the pioneer work done in the 
Territory. 

James F. Coffman was born January 26, 1842, in Mount 
Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. He was converted in 1858. Im- 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 419 



mediately after, felt called to the work of the ministry, but did 
not yield until 1867, when he entered the high school at Eaton, 
Ohio, two years. Then taught one year, and entered the Ohio 
Wesleyan University in the fall of 1870, remaining three years, 
that he might the better prepare himself for the ministry. Li- 
censed to preach in 1871. He was united in marriage with Miss 
Maggie, daughter of Rev. D. Summers, of Shelby, Ohio, in June, 
1873. He first came to Colorado in 1863, and worked in the 
mines at Central City for a 
while, then on a farm near 
where Longmont now 
stands, until he reurned East 
to attend school. 

His appointments have 
been: Idaho Springs and 
Empire, 1873; Idaho 
Springs and Nevada, the 
next year; Longmont, two 
years; Laramie City; Breck- 
enridge, where he built the 
parsonage and finished the 
church, and Gunnison, each 
three years; Durango, five 
years. During the third year 
there a fire swept over a 
large portion of the town, 
and consumed the church 
and parsonage. The most of 
his furniture, bedding, cloth- 
ing, and library were also swept away. He and his family lost 
nearly everything they had in the world. Through his almost 
herculean efforts, and the liberal contributions of people from 
far and near, a new parsonage and church were built before he 
left, in 1891. Drs. Cranston and Moore, with their brotherly 
sympathy, aided materially to help the enterprise through. 
Thence he was sent to Fort Collins in 1891-5, where he planned 
and began a new church-building during the closing year of his 
pastorate. In 1896 he was appointed to Cameron Memorial, 




J. F. COFFMAN. 



420 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Denver. Brother Coffman is an instructive preacher, and a very 
useful minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

1874. — The twelfth session of the Conference was held in 
Colorado Springs, commencing July 30, 1874, with Bishop 
Thomas Bowman in the chair. The usual routine of Conference 
business was gone through with in four days. Six brethren were 
transferred into, and four out of the Conference; one was admitted 
on trial, and one located; thirty-seven received appointments, 
four of whom were supplies. 

The transfers were: 

B. F. Taylor, from the Upper Iowa Conference; sent to 
Golden that year, and made supernumerary in 1875; was trans- 
ferred to the California Conference in 1876. 

B. A. Washburn, from the Missouri Conference. At Trinidad 
one year; held a supernumerary relation four years, and then was 
transferred to the Southern California Conference in 1879. 

William Full, from the Rock River Conference. Appointed 
to Fairplay and Alma, Caribou and Gold Hill, each one year; a 
supernumerary two years, and located in 1878. 

R. L. Harford, from the Kansas Conference. Had supplied 
Georgetown for nearly two years; appointed to Central City and 
California Street, Denver, each a year; and then was transferred 
to the California Conference in 1876, where he did effective work 
for a few years, when he crossed to the "evergreen shore." 

O. L. Fisher was born at Rock Grove, Stephenson County, 
Illinois, August 12, 1844; was raised on a farm, and began teach- 
ing school at sixteen. He graduated from the Bryant and 
Stratton's Commercial College, Chicago, in 1865 ; also from 
the Rock River Seminary a year later. He taught in the latter 
school as tutor from 1867 to 1870, and graduated from the 
Garrett Biblical Institute in June, 1871. His religious record 
is as follows: W^as converted October 25, 1867; licensed to preach 
in January, 1869; had charge of Crystal Fake, Iowa, while at the 
institute; joined the Upper Iowa Conference in September, 1871; 
was transferred to Colorado, April, 1874, and stationed at 
Greeley, where he remained three years and four months; 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 42 1 



Georgetown, three years; presiding elder of the Northern (now 
Greeley) District, one year; Denver, California Street; North 
Denver, each three years. While at California Street he enlarged 
both the church and parsonage, increased the membership, and 
doubled the Sunday-school in numbers. During this pastorship 
he organized Simpson Mission, built and paid for the first build- 
ing, which stood on Ames Street; was a supernumerary in 1887; 
Evanston, Wyoming, in 1888-9; superintendent of City Missions, 
Denver, 1890. While in this work he established seven distinct 
missions, three of which 
erected church-buildings 
immediately after; namely, 
Grant Avenue, Greenwood, 
and Berkley. He fre- 
quently held seven services 
on the Sabbath. (See close 
of Chapter XII.) 

He accepted the presi- 
dency of the Fort Worth 
University, Texas, in 1891, 
and was transferred to the 
Austin Conference, Texas, 
1892. His work in Colo- 
rado brought him promi- 
nently before the Church, 

and favorably recommended him for his present important po- 
sition, where he is succeeding admirably as teacher and manager 
of valuable school interests. 




o. i*. fisher. 



Robert H. Rhodes was born, October 16, 1830, at Mill- 
town, Crawford County, Indiana; converted, when but a boy, 
at a camp-meeting in Harrison County, Indiana; educated in 
the district school, and for a time at Asbury University; held 
license to exhort one vear, before receiving a license as local 
preacher; was admitted into the Indiana Conference in 1859, 
without his knowledge or consent. When he went to his first 
charge, the Rono Circuit, he had never taken a text, or attempted 
to preach. On this work he remained two years, when he was 



422 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ordained deacon, on September 29, 1861. He was ordained elder 
by Bishop Simpson nine years later, on September 4, 1870. He 
filled acceptably various charges, resting three years in the mean- 
time, until the spring of 1873, when, on account of failing health, 
he came to Colorado, and settled on a farm near Arvada, where 
he still resides. Has done "effective" work here two years, 
preaching at Caribou, Middle Boulder, Gold Hill, Sunshine and 
Jimtown, and at Silver Plume. He organized a class at Wheat 

Ridge, January 11, 1874, with 
thirteen members. He and his 
family have been faithful attend- 
ants thereof for twenty-one years. 

Brother Rhodes also started 
the Broomfield Class in 1888, 
turning it over to the Church 
authorities, at the end of two 
years, with twenty-five members 
and an average attendance in 
the Sunday-school of forty-five. 

He preached also in Berkley 
for six months previous to the 
organization of the Church there. 
He assisted in organizing the 
society at Edgewater, in Febru- 
r. h. Rhodes. ary, 1892, where he has been 

pastor much of the time since. 
His present relation to the Conference is that of a supernumerary. 
His health for years has been frail, yet he preaches almost regu- 
larly on the Sabbath, and with much feeling and earnestness. 

John Armstrong was admitted on trial; at Evans and Big 
Thompson one year, and was then transferred to Nebraska in 
1875. 

Cyrus A. Brooks was ordained deacon, and William Full 
elder, on August 2d, at this session. 

1875. — After an absence of six years, the Conference met, 
for the third time, in Central City, Colorado Territory, on July 




SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY, 



423 



29th, Bishop Gilbert Haven presiding. The opening exercises 
were conducted by the bishop, and the usual committees ap- 
pointed, when the Conference proceeded to business, following 
the usual Disciplinary order. The Conference, by resolution, 
expressed "Heartfelt sympathy with our brother, J. L. Dyer, in 
his deep affliction — the loss of his son, Judge Elias F. Dyer, who 
fell at the hands of an assassin." 

On August 1st, the bishop ordained the following named 
brethren: To deacons' orders, James F. Coffman, Thomas P. 
Cook, John E. Rickards, William C. Roby, and John Stocks; and 
as elders, O. L. Fisher and W. L. Slutz. 

The adjournment occurred on the evening of the fourth day. 
The transfers were: 

S. T. Mcllheran, from the Illinois Conference. Appointed to 
West Las Animas ; located the next year. 

W. A. Dotson, from the Kentucky Conference. Pueblo, 
Georgetown, each one year; was then transferred to the South 
Kansas Conference, where he died at Newton, Kansas, March. 

i8 79 . 

H. C. Langley, from the Northwest Indiana Conference. 
Castle Rock, two years; Rosita, one year; supernumerary, two 
years; was transferred to the Missouri Conference in 1880. 

Albert Warren, from the St. Louis Conference. Rosita, two 
years; supernumerary, two years: Kiowa, Pagosa Springs, Ani- 
mas City, one year each; and then located in 1881. 

Hoska L. BeardslEy, from the Missouri Conference, was 
born, June 11, 1838, in North Harpersfield, Delaware County, 
New York; attended the public schools and the New York Con- 
ference Seminary, at Charlotteville, in New York; next Baldwin 
University, at Berea, Ohio : and finally the Iowa Wesleyan L T ni- 
versity, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa; was converted at a camp- 
meeting, in 1858, near Berea, Ohio; called to preach soon after, 
but did not consent to do so until March, 1866. 

In order to secure an education, he taught several terms in 
different public schools. The call for volunteers to defend the 
Government was sent forth, when he enlisted in the Union army, 
as private in Company I, 18th Iowa Infantry, and was sworn 



424 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



into service on July 7, 1862. Soon after, was ordered to the 
front in the Department of Missouri. He was subsequently pro- 
moted to corporal and sergeant; was discharged for promotion, 
and appointed first lieutenant and regimental quartermaster of 
the 2d Arkansas Infantry on January 28, 1864, and served as 
such until October 19, 1864, when he resigned, and was honor- 
ably discharged from the service. He engaged again as teacher 
in the public schools at Kevtesville, Missouri, and taught one 
term, when the call to preach became so imperative he yielded; 
was licensed to preach March 3, 1866, and admitted to the Mis- 
souri Conference the following 
week, before he had preached a 
single sermon. 

For eight years he did pas- 
toral work in that Conference. 
In October, 1874, he was trans- 
ferred to the Colorado Confer- 
ence, and stationed at Laramie 
City, Wyoming; then at Idaho 
Springs and Nevada, two years; 
Longmont, one year, where he 
secured lots on the corner of 
Third Avenue and Coffman 
Street, for a new church and par- 
sonage; Longmont Circuit, one 
year; Platteville, two years, 
where, through his efforts, the 
means were raised to purchase 
and fit up a comfortable parsonage; Arvada, three years— here 
he built a good, six-room parsonage almost with his own hands, 
he and his family raising all the funds therefor; Buenta Vista, 
one year; Castle Rock, one year and a half, when he was changed 
by his presiding elder, with the consent of Bishop Warren, to 
the new town of Lamar, where he organized a society, and built 
a neat church; in 1887, Beckwourth Street, Denver, which name 
was changed by him to "Fifth Avenue," to correspond with the 
new name of the street; Morrison, in 1888, which he resigned 




SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 425 

near the middle of the year, to accept a place with the Rocky 
Mountain Christian Advocate. In 1889, he was appointed financial 
agent of the ''Methodist Publishing Company," of Denver; the 
next year was made a supernumerary, and accepted the position 
of bookkeeper in the St. Louis Depository of the Western Book 
Concern. Feeling that his work was in the pastorate, he re- 
turned, and was appointed to Erie and Louisville, 1891-2. Here 
he finished and paid for the church at the latter place. Built a 
neat church at "Pleasant View," which was dedicated by Dr. 
Hyde, in February, 1893, free of debt. Platteville in 1893-4-5, 
where revivals have attended his labors; Simpson Church, Den- 
ver, in 1896. Has been Conference secretary for eleven success- 
ive years. He is a faithful pastor and an earnest gospel preacher. 

Only two were admitted on trial: John L. Moffitt, who had 
been junior preacher on the Erie and Platteville work the year 
previous; appointments, Granite, Lake City, Morrison, each one 
year; located in 1878. 

Thomas P. Cook was born May 18, 1848, in Middletown, 
Washington County, Pennsylvania; converted in 1870, at Mt. 
Vernon, Iowa; came to Colorado in April, 1872; licensed to 
preach in Greeley, 1874; served Cherry Creek Circuit, under the 
elder, one year; admitted on trial in 1875, and sent to the San 
Luis Valley, and in 1876 to Silverton. 

In May, 1877, the presiding elder sent him to the San Juan 
Valley, on a reconnoitering expedition. At Parrot City he had 
two hundred and fifty out to hear the gospel; at Animas City, 
fifteen; at Judge Pinkerton's house, near the head of the valley, 
about twenty; Monument, 1877; Fairplay and Alma, 1878; Gothic 
and Rock Creek, 1881. This was a hard year. He spent the 
winter at Alamosa, preaching there for two months; Crested 
Butte and Ohio Creek, 1882; was a supernumerary in 1883, and 
then at Florence and Coal Creek, 1884-6. At both Rockvale 
and Florence he began Church enterprises, which were finished 
by his successor; Bald Mountain, two years; Windsor, two years; 
Colorado City and Roswell, three years; Buena Vista, 1894; 
Ouray, 1895-6. He was ordained deacon, in 1875, at Central 



426 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



City, and elder at Pueblo in 1879. He is one of the most faithful 
pastors of the Conference, and always leaves a creditable record 
behind him. 

A few additional items from Presiding Elder Adams's report 
will appropriately close the year's record: 

"The grasshopper plague swept the country, destroying every- 
thing. The roof of the church at Cheyenne was blown from the 
building, and carried out on the prairie. The disheartened people 
rallied, replaced the roof, and repaired the church generally. 
Boulder church renovated and reseated. William Full has sup- 
plied Caribou and Gold Hill. Organized a fine society at Sun- 
shine. W. L. Slutz bought and paid for a good parsonage at 
Black Hawk. Deaths: Little Ethel, daughter of Brother and 
Sister O. L. Fisher, of Greeley; and Melville Cox Beardsley, in 
the opening years of his manhood, is cut off." 

1876. — The Conference met in Boulder, for the first time, 
July 1 2th, William L. Harris, bishop. The opening exercises 
were conducted by him. B. F. Crary, presiding elder, gave an 
interesting review of the preceding four years on the Southern 
District, from which I quote: "All the preachers have been faith- 
ful and true. J. L. Moffitt, appointed to Granite, was a mistake. 
He resigned, taught school, preached all he could, and paid his 
own way. B. T. Vincent started well and hopefully at Colorado 
Springs, and then was transferred to the Philadelphia Confer- 
ence. C. A. Brooks supplied his place. Society organized in 
South Pueblo. Church property unfinished. Rosita has built 
a new church. Church partly built and society organized at Del 
Norte. Pastor at West Fas Animas has built a church worth 
$1,800. J. E. Rickards's health has failed." 

Cyrus A. Brooks was ordained elder, and Samuel T. Mcll- 
herin deacon. He located. Five were transferred from the Con- 
ference, and four into it. 

Those received by transfer were: 

J. A. Edmonson, from the Tennessee Conference. At Lara- 
mie City, Central City, Pueblo, each two years; made a super- 
numerary in 1881, and transferred to the Central Tennessee Con- 
ference in 1887. Is now a member of the Central Illinois Con- 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



4-7 



ference, and doing excellent work for the Master. While here, 
he was a faithful workman. 

B. A. P. Eaton, from the Southern Illinois Conference. At 
Monument one year, and made a supernumerary in 1877; Fort 
Collins Circuit in 1887; located in 1888. 

Henry C. King was born in McDonough County, Illinois, 
in 1844, and graduated from Hedding College in 1870. He at 
once became a pastor in the Central Illinois Conference. To 
recuperate his health he came to Colorado in 1876, and was ap- 
pointed to Canon City. The next year was made supernumerary. 
His health so recovered in 1879 that he was made effective, and 
sent to the new town of 
Cleora. The town failed, 
and he returned to his old 
Conference, supplying a 
Church in Rock Island for 
about six months. Again 
his health failed, and he re- 
turned to Colorado, and 
took a supernumerary rela- 
tion, in which he remained 
until he exchanged worlds. 
After retiring, he opened a 
realty office in Denver. 
Feeble as he was, he could 
not well let go his life-work. 
He began preaching in the 
Ashland school-building, 
and soon after reorganized 
a Church of eleven members 
in North Denver. He served 
them faithfully for two years, attending the Sunday-school and 
preaching once each Sabbath. In 1882 they completed a neat 
brick church, valued at $8,000, on the corner of Sixteenth and 
Boulder Streets. This building was sold in 1890, and ''Beautiful 
Asbury" erected on the corner of Fay and Bert Streets, largely 
through his influence. He remained true to God and the Church 




428 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



to the very last. Just before his departure the writer visited him, 
and found him in great peace, enjoying the comfort of the Holy 
Ghost. He died June 30, 1895, leaving a wife, two adopted chil- 
dren, and a host of friends to mourn his loss. His body was taken 
to Asbury Church, where several brethren bore testimony to his 
worth; among them were Bishop H. W. Warren and Jacob M. 
Murphy, who was his room-mate when in college. Brother King 
was a man of fine ability, and sustained an irreproachable char- 
acter to the end. 

James Harvey Scott was born, July 14, 1844, in Guernsey 
County, Ohio. Attended district schools, also the Muskingum 
and Mt. Union Colleges; converted first, December 25, i860; 
relapsed; reclaimed, December 24, 1865; licensed to preach in 
February, 1867; joined the Missouri Conference, March, 1869, 
where he worked for six years, preaching at Novelty, Sand Hill, 
Clark City, and Athens; moved to Colorado in 1875, and sup- 
plied Del Norte. Here he inclosed a stone church, 40 x60; was 
removed at the end of the second year. He supported himself 
and family largely while here by keeping boarders; then at Castle 
Rock Circuit one year; Rosita, two years, where he began 
with eight members, and closed with eighty; remodeled the 
church, which had been built through the efforts of Rev. A. War- 
ren; next at Gunnison, 1880. Here he secured and moved into a 
tent on Saturday night, and preached the next day in the un- 
finished land-office building. During the evening services the 
people had to raise their umbrellas and put on their hats to shield 
them from the falling rain. 

When Presiding Elder Cranston came to hold his first quar- 
terly-meeting, they used an unfinished store-building without 
windows. A heavy snow fell the night before. The people sat 
in the windows to get the sun and keep warm, changing off 
occasionally with one another. He built a house here to shelter 
his family, and also a church to provide for his congregation. 
Had a good revival. Here the greatest sorrow of his life came 
to him, in the death of his only daughter, Jessie. She was a 
devout Christian, an accomplished organist, and a great help to 
her father in his work, though less than fourteen years of age. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 429 



Next at Ouray in 1882. During that year he organized a class 
at Telluride. The next year he was sent to the latter place; was 
made a supernumerary in 1884, that he might enter the evangel- 
istic field. He located in 1893; readmitted in 1895. 

John Coluns was born in Rouse Lench, Worcestershire, 
England, May 21, 1848; converted in 1859 in a Primitive Meth- 
odist cottage meeting at Bradley Green; united with the Wes- 
leyans at Walsall, 1867; licensed to preach at Bradford, York- 
shire, 1869; came to the United 
States in 1871; united with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, 
first in Salt Lake City, Utah; re- 
moved thence to Union Church, 
St. Louis; then to Lawrence 
Street, Denver, in 1872; next to 
Longmont, in 1873, where he was 
licensed to exhort by Rev. C. E. 
Cline, the pastor, and licensed as 
a local preacher the same year by 
the District Conference. 

For a time he supplied Cur- 
rent Creek Circuit, near Canon 
City; also Granite and California 
Gulch the same year. In 1874 
he supplied Canon City Circuit; 
1875, Cucharas; was admitted on trial, and appointed to Erie 
and Valmont in 1876; Platteville and Fort Lupton in 1877. The 
next three years he was at Morrison; then at Castle Rock, three 
years; Como, one year; Morrison, second term of three years; 
was sent to Rocky Ford in 1888, where he remained a month 
only, when, for good reasons, he moved to South Denver, where 
he has organized societies and built churches at the following 
points: Valverde, Flemings Grove, Myrtle Hill, and Rosedale. 
His mother, who had kept house for him, died December 15, 
1889. He was married to Miss Ella Bennett, of St. Louis, Mo., 
December 4, 1891. She has been a great help to him in his work. 
Brother Collins is a close student, an earnest preacher, a careful 




430 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

manager of the interests committed to his care, and commands 
the respect of all who know him. 

1877. — The fifteenth session of the Colorado Conference was 
held in the city of Denver, from August 1st to 5th. This was 
the fourth session held here. Bishop Isaac W. Wiley presided. 
The Conference closed its business on the evening of the fifth 
day. The accessions were, by transfer: 

D. H. Snowden, from the South Kansas Conference. Had 
supplied Georgetown a part of the previous year; located at this 
session. 

J. Pope Treloar, from the United Methodist Free Church of 
England. Appointments: Nevada, Trinidad, Del Norte, one year 
each; located in 1880. 

E. C. Dodge, from the Genesee Conference. Had supplied 
Evans and Lupton the year before; appointed to Black Hawk, 
two years; Canon City, three years; Pueblo, one year; then was 
transferred back to his old Conference in 1883; was a member 
of the General Conference in 1896. He was a promising young 
man, and rendered very efficient service while he remained 
with us. 

Brabazon B. Dundass, from the Methodist Church of Canada, 
was born, October 20, 1843, m Druin. Ireland; came with his 
parents to Canada when four years of age, and to Colorado in 
1876; was married to Mary Emma Dann, August 7, 1877, in 
Denver, Colorado; filled Lake City, Bald Mountain, Castle Rock, 
each one year; Platteville, two years. By great personal effort, 
with the help of a loan from the Church Extension Society, he 
succeeded in building a neat frame church there. He was trans- 
ferred to the Kansas Conference in 1883, where he remained until 
his health failed, when he returned to Colorado. lie died in 
Denver, February 14, 1885, rejoicing in the Savior of sinners. 
Brother Dundass was a conscientious preacher of the gospel, a 
faithful pastor, and left his family the heritage of an untarnished 
Christian character. 

Joseph A. Smith and five Mexican brethren were admitted on 
trial. The latter were engaged in the Spanish work in New 
Mexico, under Superintendent Harwood. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



431 



Brother Smith was born in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, January 
25, 1850; was converted at Pleasant Hill, Illinois, in 1859; felt 
called to preach at once; licensed to preach, July 30, 1870, on his 
home charge. 

He graduated from the Illinois Wesleyan University, June 
17, 1875; joined the Illinois Conference in September following, 
end was sent to Alexandria; took a located relation at the next 
cession on account of his failing health. 

He served the following charges in Colorado: West Las Ani- 
mas, Castle Rock, Rosita, Black Hawk; Aspen, 1885-6, where 
he organized a class with fifteen members, and a Sunday-school 
with thirty-nine, and built a church, valued at $4,500; then he was 
at Trinidad, 1887-8; Florence Circuit, 1889; La Junta, 1890-91- 
92; was made a supernumerary in 1893; went East soon after 
and rested for a while, when he again entered the pastorate; was 
transferred to the Central Illinois Conference in 1896. He did 
a good work in Colorado, and helped to lay substantial founda- 
tions upon which to rear the living Church. 

The society at Aspen has had the following pastors: J. A. 
Smith, J. R. Rader, A. B. Bruner, R. A. Carnine, R. M. Barns, 
G. P. Avery, for a short time in 1893; then C. Bradford, who 
remained the next year; J. H. Gill, 1895-96. 

A class was organized in Ouray by C. L. Libby, June 10, 

1877, with E. T. Ailing, Henry Ripley, and four others as mem- 
bers. He began building a church, which was completed by his 
successor, who also built a small parsonage, almost with his own 
hands and money. The church was dedicated by Dr. Cranston, 
presiding elder, in 1878. The Sunday-school was organized in 

1878. The pastors to date have been: C. L. Libby, W. H. Greene, 
L. Wright, J. H. Scott, A. D. Fairbanks, L. C. Aley, J. Shawber, 
E. G. Harbert, J. G. Eberhart, J. B. Long, N. Bascom, E. G. 
Alderman, H. A. Carpenter, J. Moore; T. P. Cook, 1895-6. Thus 
closes another year of successful work in this portion of the 
Master's vineyard. 

1878. — The) Conference convened in Golden City for the 
second time in its history, on August 7th; Bishop Matthew 
Simpson presided. The appointments were read on Sabbath 
28 



432 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



evening, closing a very enjoyable session. On Monday the mem- 
bers and visitors of the Conference, with many of their hosts, 
were honored with a free excursion to Georgetown, through the 
courtesy of the Hon. W. A. H. Loveland, president of the Colo- 
rado Central Railroad. This added greatly to the interest in the 
Conference associations, and marked the session as one memo- 
rable in the history of all. 

Dr. Crary, in his report as presiding elder, addressing the 
chair, said: "You, bishop, presided at this Conference ten years 
ago in Golden. Then you sent out ten men to work. This past 
year forty-five men have been in the field. Of the ten you ap- 
pointed then, only three remain on the ground to-day. We are 
in the regular accession and succession and procession. There 
is only one appointment in the Conference that is really able to 
be self-sustaining, and hence only one comfortable spot, and 
none of us expect to revel in that! 

"Church built and paid for at Evans; parsonage built and 
paid for in Laramie City; church lot bought in Rawlins, and 
$200 raised toward a church-building; church at Fort Collins 
moved from a wet, swampy location to an eligible site, ceiled, 
painted, and paid for; the churches of Silver Plume and George- 
town enlarged and improved." 

From Presiding Elder J. H. Merritt's report I make some 
selections: "I have traveled 6,801 miles; preached 156 times; 
dedicated two churches; baptized two adults and ten children. 
Lawrence Street has improved her church property; J. K. Miller 
filled out the year at California Street, after H. Sinsabaugh re- 
signed; St. James has a new parsonage, paid for. The pastor, 
F. C. Millington, in conjunction with Ex-Governor Evans, has 
arranged for the completion of Evans Memorial Church. When 
done, it will be deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church. J. A. 
Stayt filled out the year at Colorado Springs, after C. W. Blod- 
gett's transfer; chapel sold, and proceeds put into a parsonage 
property; a good revival at Pueblo; church-building improved; 
debt removed from the church at Canon City; T. A. Uzzell had 
a revival at Alma, and organized a society of twenty members; 
purchased and fitted up a church property, which was dedicated, 
April 14, 1878, free of debt. The town of Leadville has developed 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 433 



suddenly and wonderfully. Thomas and his brother, Charles S. 
Uzzell, went early to the place, organized a society, and took 
steps to build a church. Thomas returned to his charge, while 
Charles remained in Leadville. The church was built, and dedi- 
cated July 7, 1878, without debt; parsonage built in Lake City, 
and a church in Ouray. A temperance revival has swept over 
the State, and done great good." 
Those received by transfer were: 

J. H. Stayt, from the Des Moines Conference, who filled 
Colorado Springs for nearly two years; was made a supernu- 
merary in 1879, and transferred to the Kansas Conference in 1880. 

H. S. Hilton, from the Minnesota Conference, supplied Trini- 
dad in 1877; St. James and Evans Memorial, Denver, two years; 
Georgetown and Cheyenne, each one year; was transferred to the 
Baltimore Conference in 1883. Brother Hilton made a creditable 
record as a studious, able minister, and a faithful pastor. 

W. H. Gillam, from the Arkansas Conference; had supplied 
Arvada the previous year; at Cheyenne, two years; Boulder, 
three years; Golden, one year; was transferred to the Southwest 
Kansas Conference in 1884. 

Brother Gillam was one among the brethren in the South 
who felt called to leave his Southern associations for conscience' 
sake. He did so, and did valiant service in Arkansas helping to 
organize and build up the old mother Church. In this work he 
traversed every part of the State, and was known there as the 
"Arkansas Traveler. " He was a good preacher, and left a 
precious record behind. 

Thomas A. Uzzell, from the Southeast Indiana Conference, 
was born, March 12, 1848, at Lebanon, Illinois; converted in 
February, 1869; entered Asbury University two years after, grad- 
uating therefrom in 1877, with the degree of A. M. A portion 
of the time while in school he worked at a barber's chair to help 
meet his expenses; was licensed to preach in 1872, and ordained 
Deacon by Bishop Simpson in 1876. 

He came to Colorado in October, 1877, and was sent to Fair- 
play and Alma. In January, 1878, he organized the society in 
Leadville, which was the first of any denomination in that town. 



434 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



He, assisted by his brother Charles, raised the money and let the 
contract for a house of worship. Thomas returned to his work in 
Fairplay, and Charles remained in Leadville to look after the 
society and superintend building the church, which was dedi- 
cated, July 4, 1878, by J. H. Merritt, presiding elder. At the 
next session of the Conference Thomas was sent to Leadville. 




THOMAS A. UZZEIvL. 

Before his pastorate of three years closed, the church had been 
enlarged three times to accommodate the congregation which 
thronged his ministry. 

He began by standing on the sidewalk, — before they had 
any, — and inviting every passer-by to step in and hear him preach. 
December 9, 1879, ne was married to Miss Henrietta Vincent, of 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 435 

Des Moines, Iowa. His appointments have since been: First 
Church, Pueblo, 1881; North Denver, 1882; Georgetown, 1883-4. 
On account of the railroad, which had just been extended to 
Silver Plume, crossing the lots in the rear of the church, the 
building was moved to a more central location, and refitted. He 
took a located relation in 1885, and became the pastor of the 
"People's Tabernacle," Denver. He has since united with the 
Congregational Church, and has given himself wholly to this 
work, where he yet remains. Since entering on this very im- 
portant work, he has removed all indebtedness from the property, 
and enlarged it frequently to meet the demands of the congre- 
gation. His main business here is to preach the gospel and to 
save souls. An average of about five hundred a year are led to 
the Savior. His membership stands at nearly three hundred, 
and the Sunday-school at six hundred all the time. Among the 
auxiliary helps employed in this charge are the Christian En- 
deavor, which is the largest in the State ; a free dispensary, where 
five thousand poor people are treated gratuitously each year; a 
Helping Hand Institute, rinding employment for an average of 
two thousand per year, and several other auxiliaries not necessary 
to mention. His zeal in the ministry knows no abatement. At 
a recent election he was made one of the Board of City Super- 
visors. 

William H. GrELnl*, from the Nebraska Conference, was 
born in Montville, Geauga County, Ohio, November 27, 1845. 
Enlisted in the Union army, July 23, 1863, and was mustered 
out in April, 1866. Spent one year at Baldwin University, at 
Berea, Ohio, and graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University 
in 1873. He then supplied Fowler and Earl Park Circuit in the 
Northwest Indiana Conference one year. His appointments here 
have been: Rawlins, Wyoming, one year; Ouray, three years, 
where he completed the church, and built a small parsonage also, 
almost wholly from his own pocket and by his own hands; 
Golden, two years, — here he enlarged the church, raised the roof, 
and gave it more comely proportions; then at Platteville, two 
years. On account of failing health he was superannuated in 
1885, and a superannuate in 1890. He now resides in Texas. 



436 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



When "active" he was an able defender of the "Wcrd" of life, 
and an entertaining pastor of the Church. He builded wisely 
and well, and his work abides. 

John F. White was admitted on trial. He was born in Corn- 
wall, England, December 19, 1849, an d born again February 8, 
1863, when he joined the Wesleyan Church. He came to New 
York City, and joined the Thirtieth Street Methodist Episcopal 
Church, where he was licensed to exhort. Reached Colorado in 
1876, and handed his letter into the Church at Colorado Springs. 

They renewed his exhorter's 
license. Thence he went to Sil- 
ver Plume, where he preached for 
one year, under the presiding 
elder; was returned the second 
year; ordained deacon by Bishop 
Simpson at this session. The 
following is a list of his other 
appointments : Idaho Springs, 
three years, where, in 1880, he 
built the church ; Eongmont, two 
years, where he built another 
beautiful church edifice; then at 
Golden, three years; Eoveland, 
one year, in which place he built 
another model church and started 
john f. white. a parsonage ; Black Hawk, two 

years; and Arvada, three years, where he completed the church, 
begun by the writer. He was made a supernumerary in 1893, 
and continues to reside at Arvada. Brother White has done ex- 
cellent work for the Master, as the foregoing brief record shows. 
He has been an active and very able advocate of prohibition. 

On the third day of this Conference session a very modest- 
appearing brother was introduced. A good lady was heard to 
remark, "He is decidedly handsome!" The Rev. Earl Cranston, 
D. D., has not changed much since! It was he who took Dr. 




SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



437 



Crary's ''plum" — the Lawrence Street Church — at the close of 
the session. 

William Full, George Wallace, and John L. Moffitt were 
given certificates of location. 

1879. — The; Conference met, for the second time, in Pueblo, 
August 7th, Bishop Stephen M. Merrill presiding. He conducted 
the opening devotional exercises. Twenty-seven answered to 
their names at the roll-call. The usual routine of Conference 
business was finished at noon on Monday following, when the 
appointments were announced, and this little band of conse- 
crated workers separated to do the work for the Master assigned 
them. 

Nine were transferred into the Conference at this session, and 
one out of it. Four were received on trial. 

I quote from the reports of the presiding elders, as follows: 
Dr. B. F. Crary, of the Northern District, said: 
"O. L. Fisher has added to the church-building in George- 
town; N. W. Chase supplied the place of E. C. Dodge, who left 
Black Hawk at the end of the third quarter; at Salina, on the 
Gold Hill Circuit, a house, formerly a saloon, has been bought 
for a church ; F. J. Hall has built an excellent parsonage in Long- 
mont; A. N. Field has built a brick church at Fort Fupton; John 
Stocks, at Caribou, has built and paid for the foundation of a 
church — material is on the ground for inclosing it, and $35 in 
the treasury; W. H. Gillam has built a brick parsonage in Chey- 
enne, costing $,1,200; J. F. Coffman has improved church and 
parsonage in Laramie City; A. W. Coffman, at Rawlins, has 
built and paid for a neat parsonage. An Educational Conven- 
tion was held in Denver, June 10th, for the inauguration of a 
practical scheme for the resuscitation of our Colorado Seminary. 

"A Church that has no revivals is a purely human organiza- 
tion, and not God's Church. The only infallible test of a true 
Church is her power of saving souls. The true Apostolic, Holy 
Catholic Church, in which we believe and to which we belong, 
is a soul-saving Church, a revival Church, a Church that believes 
in the gift of the Holy Ghost, and receives it. The Church can 



433 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



not be built up without the pentecostal enduement of power. 
Artificial vines do not produce fruit. Said Jesus: 'Abide in me, 
and I in you/ 'He that abideth in me and I in him, the same 
bringeth forth much fruit.' " 

J. H. Merritt, of the Southern District, reported: 
"J. E. Rickards resigned. He wrote me from St. Louis, Janu- 
ary 2 1 st. E. L. Allen, from the New Jersey Conference, has 
filled the vacancy, and completed a Gothic brick church, costing 
$3,500, at Canon City. The church at Leadville has been en- 
larged, so as to accommodate six hundred people. W. H. Greene 
has removed the church indebtedness at Ouray, which was dedi- 
cated July 13, 1879. He has built and paid for a neat parsonage. 
West Las Animas church is plastered, and the grounds fenced. 
J. H. Scott has organized a class of fifteen members at Silver 
City." 

E. E. Edwards, a transfer from the St. Louis Conference, 
appointed president of the Colorado Agricultural College at Fort 
Collins, was present, and received a hearty welcome from his Con- 
ference colleagues. He was made a supernumerary in 1883, and 
afterward transferred to the Minnesota Conference in 1887. He 
was a scholarly and able minister of Christ, and made an excel- 
lent record as president of the school in Fort Collins. Since 
leaving us, for reasons satisfactory to himself, he has united with 
the Episcopal Church. 

C. L. Libby, from the Minnesota Conference, supplied Ouray 
in 1877; subsequently Arvada. Wheat Ridge and Argo, Rosita, 
Georgetown, Laramie City, each one year. He was transferred 
to the Maine Conference in 1884; retransf erred to Colorado five 
years later, and sent to work in the Utah Mission ; made a super- 
numerary in 1890, and transferred to the Southern California 
Conference, 1893. He is a clear thinker, and expresses himself 
understandingly. He has left a good record. 

Matthew Evans, from the Wisconsin Conference; at Central 
City, three years, when he was transferred back to his former 
Conference, in 1882. He was a thoroughly consecrated man of 
God, of one work, and in ability above the average. The Confer- 
ence expressed in flattering words its appreciation of his work 
and its reluctance in parting with him. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 439 



Edward L. Alien, from the New Jersey Conference, supplied 
Canon City six months in 1878; Fort Collins, two years; mission- 
ary in 1881; was transferred to the Missouri Conference in 1883. 
He was an impressive speaker, and an untiring minister of the 
gospel. 

William C. B. Lewis, from the Troy Conference, served Silver 
Cliff two years; withdrew from the connection in 1880. 

A. N. Field, from the St. Louis Conference; his appointments 
here were: Erie and Valmont; Platteville and Fort Lupton; Love- 
land, Bald Mountain, each one year; was transferred to the 
Southern California Conference in 1881. He did a good work, 
and among other aggressive achievements was the erection of a 
small brick church at Fort Lupton. 

Eari, Cranston, D. D., another transfer, was born at Athens, 
Ohio, June 27, 1840, and is an alumnus of the Ohio University. 
He received also the degree of Doctor of Divinity from both the 
Allegheny and Cornell Colleges in 1883. When the war broke 
out in 1861, he was a senior at the head of his class. Leaving 
the honors of a formal graduation, he enlisted as a private among 
the very first, under the call for ninety-day troops. He responded 
also promptly to the President's call for three years, and was 
appointed first lieutenant of his company. When the 2d West 
Virginia Cavalry was organized, he accepted the appointment of 
adjutant of the first battalion. During the following year the 
battalion organization of cavalry regiments was abandoned by 
the Government, and as the death of his father-in-law at this time 
left an entangled estate, which demanded his attention for the 
ensuing two years, he left the service. In 1864, he recruited a 
new company, and was assigned to the 60th Ohio. He shared in 
General Grant's first campaign with the Army of the Potomac, 
until the investment of Petersburg, when he was sent home al- 
most a physical wreck, but under excellent medical treatment 
and the best nursing he was finally restored to strength and use- 
fulness. 

His career in the ministry began when he was twenty-seven 
years of age. From early college days he had felt the imperative 
call of God to this work, but he had resisted, until for years, 



44-0 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



indeed, he had not accounted himself as in Church relationship. 
In 1866, he was led through a remarkable experience to finally 
and full)- surrender himself to God and the ministry, and re- 
united with the Church on probation, not being willing to build 
upon the abandoned foundation of the years gone by; and was, 




EARL CRANSTON. 

at the expiration of six months, licensed to preach. He continued 
in business, and preached whenever opportunity offered until in 
May following, when Presiding Elder (now Bishop) Merrill em- 
ployed him to fill a vacancy in Whitney Chapel, Marietta, Ohio. 
At the ensuing session of the Ohio Conference he was admitted 
on trial, and appointed to Bigelow Chapel, Portsmouth. A great 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY, 44 1 



revival blessed his ministry there, and two years later he was 
sent to Town Street Charge, Columbus. 

In October, 1861, he married, at Middleport, Ohio, Miss 
Martha Behan, a graduate of the Western Female Seminary. 
The failure of her health, while stationed at Columbus in 1870, 
was the premonition of her death, which occurred eighteen 
months later, during which time her husband, hoping to lengthen 
her life, made, under medical counsel, two transfers — first from 
Ohio to Minnesota, and then from the Minnesota to the Illinois 
Conference. He built the Grace Church, at Jacksonville, Illinois, 
and subsequently served Trinity Church, Evansville, and Trinity, 
Cincinnati. He was married again, in 1874, to Miss Laura Mar- 
tin, on account of whose severe illness, four years later, he was 
compelled to seek the tonic air of Colorado. Bishop Simpson 
appointed him to the Lawrence Street Charge, where his pas- 
torate was signally successful. 

He at once interested himself in the educational work of the 
Conference, and to no one is due more than to Dr. Cranston the 
credit of the foundation work of the University of Denver. He 
solicited the funds that paid for the first buildings, and supervised 
and financiered the enterprise until it was thoroughly established. 
He accepted the presiding eldership at a sacrifice of a thousand 
dollars a year to himself, after two years in Lawrence Street, in 
order that Dr. Moore, the president of the new and struggling 
institution, might have the aid of the Lawrence Street pulpit and 
salary, in carrying the burden he had assumed as president, 
without salary or endowment. In addition to this, Dr. Cranston 
managed to get more than two thousand dollars of his own slen- 
der means into the institution. 

At the General Conference of 1884 he was elected Publishing 
Agent of the Western Book Concern, in which capacity he has 
seen a debt of $400,000 disappear, and the dividends to the An- 
nual Conferences for disabled preachers increased from $15,000 
to $120,000. The General Conference of 1892 honored him with 
an almost unanimous re-election. His own Annual Conference 
has four times elected him to represent it in the General Con- 
ference. In the pastorate he neglected no feature or detail of 



442 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

the work. Debts were paid, new buildings projected and com- 
pleted, benevolences largely increased, Advocate lists doubled or 
trebled, pastoral visiting faithfully attended to, especially among 
the poor, and in every charge, save one, he had revivals — some 
of which were long continued and of great power. He was 
elected bishop by the General Conference of 1896. The Colorado 
Conference feels highly honored in the associations had with this 
servant of God, as well as in the record he has made. "Dens 
vobiscum." 

The following brethren were admitted on trial, namely: 

George B. Armstrong. At Monument, two years; Pitkin, 
Alpine, and St. Elmo, each one year; discontinued in 1882. 

Nelson W. Chase. Rawlins, Wyoming, two years; discon- 
tinued in 1 88 1 ; readmitted on trial in 1884, and into full connec- 
tion, 1886; missionary in New Mexico; located in 1895. 

On the second day of the Conference session, David H. 
Moore, D. D., from Cincinnati, Ohio, was introduced, and was 
cordially welcomed as the prospective president of the reorgan- 
ized Colorado Seminary, as a true soldier of Christ. He captured 
all hearts by his captivating manners and eloquent addresses, 
and created high ideals as to his future in the Conference. No 
man has more fully met these expectations. 

The picture on the opposite page, taken at Pueblo in 1879, 
has several faces in the group, which do not appear elsewhere in 
this book. These I will name, so the reader can know them. 

In the front row, at the left, sits John Stocks; 3d, W. F. War- 
ren; 5th, J. A. Edmondson; 7th, Bishop Merrill; 10th, A. Warren; 
nth, A. N. Field. 

In the middle row, at the left, stands J. H. Scott; 2d, G. B. 
Armstrong; 3d, T. P. Cook; 6th, PI. S. Hilton; 12th, J. A. Smith; 
13th, W. H. Gillam; 17th, E. E. Allen; 18th, M. Evans; 19th, 
C. L. Libby. 

In the back row, on the left, stands E. E. Edwards, D. D.; 
2d, J. R. Eads; 3d, B. B. Dundass; 4th, W. H. Greene; 6th, J. A. 
Stayt; 7th, J. P. Traloar. 

Six of the above have crossed over to the other shore, and 



444 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



are enjoying the fruits of their labors here below. Several others 
are nearing the dead-line of sixty, or have passed it, and will soon 
join those who have been redeemed through the blood of the 
Lamb. 

1880. — After an absence of eight years, the Conference as- 
sembled, for the second time, in Georgetown, on August 12th, 
Bishop Henry W. Warren presiding. At this, his first, Confer- 
ence he gave eminent satisfaction. 

Four brethren came to us by transfer, seven were received on 
trial, and seven went out from us into other Churches and Con- 
ferences. 

John H. Merritt's report of the Southern District was as 
follows : 

"The efforts of Lawrence Street members are largely devoted 
to the re-establishment of the Colorado Seminary; F. C. Milling- 
ton has built a neat parsonage at California Street, fenced the 
lots, and painted the church; a Sabbath-school and society or- 
ganized in North Denver; St. James Church has been repainted 
and kalsomined; parsonage improved at Castle Rock; church 
sold at Frankstown — the trustes have $250 clear; Albert Warren 
started encouragingly at Kiowa and Bijou Basin; season dry; 
his congregations scattered for the mountains. I gave the pas- 
tor a roving commission to follow, and he has been in pursuit 
of them ever since; the wife of the Monument pastor, G. B. Arm- 
strong, died happily; the church sold to satisfy claims of outside 
parties; parsonage secured at Pueblo by J. A. Edmondson; 
church dedicated by Chaplain McCabe soon after Conference; 
church enlarged at Rosita, J. H. Scott pastor. William C. B. 
Lewis left Silver Cliff after the death of his wife; S. D. Longhead 
supplied the vacancy; a church, 30x40, is ready for dedication. 
H. C. King was appointed to Cleora; staid a short time, when he 
went East on account of his health for a rest; C. H. Koyl was 
sent to supply his place; he organized a class at Buena Vista, 
and inclosed a church 24x40; will take $150 to complete it. 
Church improved at Alma by T. P. Cook. T. A. Uzzell has 
again enlarged the church at Leadville; seats now 750; the pastor 
has taken to himself a wife from his own flock. Trinidad, I. H. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 445 



Beardsley pastor, 'the adobe church was beautifully remodeled 
by a frame inclosure; steeple and bell added; repainted inside and 
carpeted, and painted outside; a neat five-room brick parsonage 
built, and all paid for.' John T. Dyer is building a church at 
Breckenridge, to cost about $1,800. New points: Rico, on Do- 
lores River, is opening up for a small society there; Gunnison, 
Brother Koyl visited it, organized a society, and the people are 
erecting a church, 32 x 50. An organization formed at Irwin. 
Pitkin, Alpine, Maysville, Pagosa Springs, Animas City, Silver- 
ton, Lake City, Kokomo, Red Cliff, are promising points, and 
invite attention." 

The following well-known men are on the list of transfers: 

Thomas C. Iuff was born, October 26, 1846, in McLuney, 
Perry County, Ohio, and converted at Iliff Chapel when fourteen 
years of age. He enlisted in the ninety days' service, in the 88th 
Ohio, when but fifteen, and carried a 
musket. He was "going on nineteen," 
and that 's the way he passed muster! 
He was "a broth of a boy," sure enough, 
with a brave heart and a man's strength. 
In the fall of 1862, he re-enlisted in the 
9th Ohio Cavalry, and served to the 
close of the war. He was in the siege 
of Knoxville, in the battles around At- 
lanta, and marched with Sherman to 
the sea. He was mustered out at 
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in July, 

1865. 

That fall he entered the Ohio State 
University, and was graduated a "B. A." 
in 1870. He at once joined the Ohio Conference, and was ap- 
pointed junior preacher on Coolville Circuit, with fourteen ap- 
pointments along the Ohio River. 

In March, 1871, Bishop Clark appointed him a missionary 
to Montana. Before starting, on the 20th, he was married to 
Miss Mary Robinson, of Belpre, Ohio, a cousin of Chaplain 
McCabe. The newly-married couple started the same day for 




446 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



the far West, which then required two thousand miles travel by 
rail, and one thousand by coach. For five years he remained 
in Montana doing pioneer work, when he was put in charge of 
our work in Utah, where for twenty years he has been super- 
intendent, holding his Conference relation with the Colorado 
Conference since 1880. He represented the Utah Conference 
in the General Conference, at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1880, after 
which he accompanied Bishop Merrill through Europe, Pales- 
tine, and Egypt. He was elected Chaplain-in-Chief of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, at Louisville, Ky., September, 1895. 

He is a good, "all-around" Methodist preacher, and has had 
marked success as an aggressive organizer in the difficult field 
where he has so long labored. 

Samuel W. Thornton was the son of a Protestant Meth- 
odist preacher, and was born in Van Buren, Hancock County, 
Ohio, June 18, 1841. He was left an orphan when only five 
years old. At the age of seventeen he began teaching in the 
public schools. In i860, he moved to Howard County, Indiana, 
and at the first call for volunteers, in 1861, he enlisted, and was 
appointed sergeant in Company E, 13th Indiana Volunteers, 
from which he was discharged, because of sickness, in the fall 
of the same year, having served with his regiment through the 
campaign in West Virginia. In 1864 he again enlisted, and was 
commissioned a lieutenant in the 137th Indiana Infantry. 

In 1862 he was converted at Cassville, Indiana; appointed 
class-leader, and in due time received license to exhort. In 1866 
he moved to Oregon, Missouri, and in March, 1869, was ad- 
mitted on trial in the Missouri Conference. 

He was ordained deacon by Bishop Ames in 1871, and elder 
by Bishop Bowman two years later. He served the following 
charges in that Conference: Rockport Circuit, Oregon Circuit, 
Maryville, and First Church, St. Joseph. In the fall of 1877 he 
was transferred to the Utah Conference, and placed in charge 
of Evanston Mission, which he served for three years. The Gen- 
eral Conference in 1880 attached that Mission to the Colorado 
Conference, and thus transferred him to the same by that action. 

His appointments here have been: Greeley, North Denver, 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 447 



Central City. While pastor at the latter place, on December 16, 
1884, he was appointed to the superintendency of the New Mex- 
ico English Mission, which service he performed for four years, 
when he resigned on account of the illness of his wife. Return- 
ing, he was stationed 
at Fifth Avenue, Den- 
ver, where, on Janu- 
ary 8, 1890, his wife 
died in holy triumph. 
He was appointed in 
1890 to North Denver 
(afterward Greeley) 
District. In 1893 
he was returned to the 
pastoral work, and 
stationed at Golden. 
One year later he was 
transferred to the Illi- 
nois Conference, and 
stationed at First 
Church, Danville, Illi- 
nois. On December 
22, 1891, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Ella M. 
Nicol, of Newark, 
Ohio. He was one of 
the delegates sent by the Conference to the General Conference 
of 1892. Brother Thornton is an able gospel preacher, a faithful 
pastor, and an aggressive leader on all lines of moral reform. 




S. W. THORNTON. 



John Wilson, from the Montreal Conference of the Meth- 
odist Church of Canada, was born in Erguesing, Ontario, Can- 
ada, May 6, 1843, an d died at Denver, Colorado, March 3, 1885; 
was converted at the age of fourteen, and felt called to the work 
of the ministry soon after. He worked his way through college, 
and entered the ministry of the above-named Church. In 1880 
he came to Colorado, and was sent to fill a vacancy at George- 
town. 

29 



448 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



He was returned there the next year ; then to Leadville, three 
years; and to California Street, Denver, in 1884, where he liter- 
ally "ceased at once to labor and live." Among his last utter- 
ances were: "Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly. I am sinking, 
but into the arms of Jesus. It is better to be resting, than to be 
preparing. Tell my brethren in Canada that Jesus is my all. I 
see him right by my bed." Brother Wilson was a thoroughly 
consecrated Christian, an able minister of Christ, — spiritual, 
earnest, and a man of one work, — and left a record that will 
brighten as the years roll on. 

David H. Moore was born near Athens, Ohio, September 
4, 1838. Converted in 1855, and soon after felt himself called 
to the Christian ministry. He is a graduate of the Ohio State 
University, near which his parents resided. 

He was set to work, first as an exhorter, then as a local 
preacher, and finally as a traveling minister, entering the Ohio 
Conference in i860. He served one year as junior preacher on 
Bainbridge Circuit, with nine appointments; next he was sta- 
tioned at Whitney Chapel, Marietta. In May, 1862, he volun- 
teered as a private, but was elected to serve as captain of Com- 
pany A, 87th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He subse- 
quently became major and lieutenant-colonel of the 125th 
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, returning after the fall of 
Atlanta. 

He soon re-entered the ministry, and served Bigelow Chapel, 
and then Twentieth Street, Columbus; St. Paul, Delaware; Wes- 
ley Chapel, Columbus; Trinity, Cincinnati; then Cincinnati Wes- 
leyan Female College as president for five years, during which 
time he supplied the pulpit of "Walnut Hills Church" for several 
months while its pastor was ill, and St. Paul's for one year. 

He made two trips to Denver in 1879, to arrange for the 
opening of ''The Colorado Seminary and University of Denver," 
to the leadership of which he had been called. He filled this 
position with great acceptability and marked success for ten 
successive years, when he resigned and accepted a professorship 
in the Colorado State University and the pastorate of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church in Boulder. Very soon after he was 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 449 



elected, by the General Book Committee, to the editorship of 
the Western Christian Advocate, published at Cincinnati, Ohio, to 
fill the vacancy caused by the death of the lamented Dr. Bayliss. 
In 1892 and in 1896 the General Conference has re-elected him to 
the same position, which he continues to fill with distinguished 
ability, making a live paper through and through. 




DAVID H. MOORE. 



While president of "The University of Denver" he served 
Lawrence Street Church and Evans Memorial Church, Denver, 
each one year as pastor. Dr. Moore was popular in and out of 
the Church. It would be difficult to find a person living m this 
Rocky Mountain region, during the time of his connection with 
our great school, who did not know him, and look to him as a 



45o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



personal friend. Several years' absence has not lessened their 
interest in, or love for the man. Every position to which he has 
been called has been filled with such marked ability that words 
of appreciation here will be useless. His memory is enshrined in 
the hearts of admiring pupils and grateful friends. His "works" 
abide. 

John Tonouin was ordained a local deacon; Thomas A. 
Uzzell and John Collins as elders. These were the first persons 
ordained by the bishop to the office and work of the Christian 
ministry. 

Those who were admitted on trial were: 

Charles S. Uzzell. Born at Jamestown, Clinton County, 
Illinois, November 6, 1853; converted at the age of seventeen, 
and entered the Asbury University two years later. His first 
preaching was done on the streets while a student, in the most 
neglected parts of the city. In his freshman year his health gave 
way, which necessitated giving up school work. He came to 
Colorado in the spring of 1877. The first day in the city of Den- 
ver, a stranger without recommendation, found him employed 
as secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association. In Au- 
gust, 1877, he was sent to Caribou and Sunshine by the presid- 
ing elder, where he worked until midwinter, when his health 
again failed. He was carefully nursed through a very serious 
illness by that old colored saint, "Aunt Clara," who has since 
passed away, "washed in the blood of the Tamb." 

When able to travel, he joined his mother and brother in 
Fairplay. He assisted his brother in organizing the Church at 
Leadville in the later part of that winter. In August, 1878, he 
was sent to Arvada; next to the Greeley Circuit; then two years 
to Golden, and two to Trinidad, where he was married. In Au- 
gust, 1883, he united with the Congregational Church, building 
a small frame church near the Grant Smelter in Denver, and then 
the building known as "The People's Tabernacle." In August, 
1885, his health again gave way, when he went to Chicago, and 
while there organized a mission in Haymarket Square. Two 
years after, on account of failing health, he fled, as the last resort, 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



451 



to Los Angeles, California, hoping thereby to prolong his life. 
Even though frail at the best, he could not be idle. 

For eight months he served the First Church, then built a 
church on Pico Heights, and another on St. Catalena Island, 
which is thirty miles from the mainland. Every Church that 
he served had revivals. Besides, he conducted many successful 
revival-meetings in different parts of the country for other 
pastors. 

While pastor at Arvada he visited a holiness camp-meeting 
at North Lawrence, Kansas, where he entered the "Beulah 
land" of perfect love, and became 
a flaming evangel for Christ. 

On Monday morning, at one 
o'clock, May 5, 1890, he crossed 
over to the other shore, leaving 
a record of unselfish devotion to 
the cause of the Master. A wife 
and three children, mother and 
brother, and numerous friends, 
mourn his absence. Brother 
Uzzell was an evangelist in the 
best sense of the term, and his 
ministry was characterized by al- 
most continuous revivals. Many 
"stars" will adorn his crown. 




c. s. uzzell. 



Arthur W. Coffman was 
born at Mount Morris, Ogle 
County, Illinois, October 22, 1852, He came with his parents 
to Colorado in 1864, and had his home with them on the present 
site of Longmont, or near it, until their decease. He was con- 
verted, i860, in a protracted-meeting held by O. P. McMains, 
in a little log schoolhouse, with a dirt roof, standing on the north 
bank of Left Hand Creek, half a mile south of the old Burlington 
Stage Station. He afterwards spent three years at school in the 
Ohio Wesleyan University. After his return he supplied Golden 
a part of 1878, and Rawlins, Wyoming, in 1879; tnen Loveland, 
one year; Evans, three years, where he had 78 conversions. The 



452 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



first church here, built by W. F. Warren in 1878, was changed 
into a parsonage in 1883, and the United Presbyterian Church 
was bought. He was sent to Arvada in 1884; discontinued in 
1885. He then worked for the Congregational Church in Den- 
ver and in Nebraska several years, but did not feel at home. He 
joined the West Nebraska Conference in 1889, where he is doing 
excellent work for the Master, and is contented and happy. 

In the development of the work in Colorado, points in the 
adjacent Territory of Wyoming were added. Only four of these 
can be noticed. 

The first Methodist sermon in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was 
preached in the City Hall, Sabbath morning, September 20, 1867, 
by Rev. W. W. Baldwin, of the Colorado Conference. Previous 
to this a Baptist minister traveling through, had preached one 
sermon. After the former's sermon a Methodist society was 
organized by Dr. D. W. Scott, a practicing physician in the 
place and a local preacher, who was authorized to do this by 
W. M. Smith, presiding elder of the Denver District. A Meth- 
odist Sunday-school was organized October 6, 1867, with Dr. 
D. W. Scott, superintendent; Frank B. Hurlburt, secretary; J. W. 
Hutchinson, librarian and treasurer. In January, 1868, W. D. 
Pease became secretary of the Sunday-school, and subsequently, 
on his election to the superintendency, B. B. Durbin was chosen 
secretary. 

The first Quarterly Conference was held June 9, 1868, by 
W. M. Smith, presiding elder; Dr. Scott, pastor; W. D. Pease, 
class-leader; Theodore Poole, steward; and G. S. Allen, local 
preacher. 

The preaching and Sunday-school services were held in the 
public schoolhouse. In August, 1868, A. Cather, of the Phila- 
delphia Conference, arrived on the scene as presiding elder of 
the Dakota District, and pastor at Cheyenne. During his pas- 
torate lots were secured on Eighteenth Street for a church edifice. 

In August, 1869, L. Hartsough was made presiding elder 
of the Wyoming District, and pastor of Cheyenne and Laramie 
City. At a Quarterly Conference held February 21, 1870, Rev. J. 
Anderson, then the acting pastor, offered his services in carrying 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 453 



forward the church-building enterprise. The trustees accepted 
his proposition, and appointed him Building Committee and 
financial agent. The lumber was purchased in Chicago and 
shipped here, and contract let to R. H. Foote for erecting the 
building. After Brother Anderson had personally aided in dig- 
ging the trench for the foundation, he and five others went two 
miles east of town and dug stone for the foundation, the hauling 
of which was donated. When the foundation was completed and 
paid for, not a dollar had changed hands. 

At the Conference session of 1870, in Pueblo, Brother Hart- 
sough reported 21 members and 7 probationers; also 65 in the 
Sunday-school, and Church property valued at $1,500. 

June 25, 1870, G. H. Adams and Edward Brooks were ap- 
pointed pastors of the Cheyenne, Laramie, and Greeley Circuit. 
Brother Brooks devoted his entire time to Laramie City, and 
Brother Adams to the other places, living at Greeley. 

September 23, 1870, Bishop Ames dedicated the church free 
of debt. During the winter of 1874-5 the roof was blown off, 
and the church otherwise damaged. It was soon repaired, at a 
total cost of $1,061. In 1878 the parsonage was commenced and 
nearly completed, at a cost of $1,200. 

The pastors have been, up to the time of the organizing of 
the "Wyoming Mission" in 1888 — its farther history is a part of 
that "Mission:" D. W. Scott, 1867;. A. Cather, 1868; L. Hart- 
sough, 1869; J. Anderson, 1870; G. H. Adams, after June, 1870; 
H. C. Waltz, 1871 ; G. W. Swift, 1872, for a short time; then G. A. 
England, 1872-3; W. F. W r arren, 1874-6; L. J. Hall, 1877; W. H. 
Gillam, 1878-9; H. J. Shaffner, 1880, who remained only a portion 
of the year, on account of failing health, when N. A. Chamberlain, 
from Indiana, finished out the year, and was returned in 1881 ; 
H. S. Hilton, 1882, for a few months; when G. N. Eldridge sup- 
plied his place, 1882-4; D. E. Rader, 1885-7. 

In March, 1869, Re v. G. F. Hilton, M. D, of the West Wis- 
consin Conference, who came to Earamie City to practice medi- 
cine and recuperate his health, organized a society, and appointed 
J. Boies class-leader. 

Rev. A. Cather, the presiding elder, 1868, preached . there 
occasionally. In August, 1869, L. Hartsough was made presid- 



454 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ing elder of the Wyoming District, and preached there every 
two weeks. He moved his family there in October, 1869, where 
he preached the first Thanksgiving sermon November 18th of 
that year, and conducted the first quarterly-meeting service, De- 
cember 4th and 5th following, ever held there. In the summer 
of 1869 lots were secured for a church. June, 1870, the Chey- 
enne, Laramie, and Greeley Circuit was organized, and G. H. 
Adams and E. C. Brooks appointed pastors. The latter made 
his home in Laramie City, and gave his whole attention to the 
church-building, which had been begun by his predecessor. This 
enterprise he completed by the aid of a donation of $500 from 
Oliver Hoyt, and $500 from Orange Judd, through the Church 
Extension Society. When Brother Brooks reached there he 
found a class of thirteen members and two probationers. B. T. 
Vincent, presiding elder, dedicated the church January 15, 1871, 
and on the same day the Sunday-school was organized. Their 
pastors have been: G. F. Hilton, from March, 1869, to Septem- 
ber, 1869; L. Hartsough, to June, 1870; G. H. Adams and E. C. 
Brooks, to July, 1871 ; H. C. Waltz, to July, 1872; W. F. Mappin, 
to July, 1873; T. M. Dart, to August, 1874; H. L. Beardsley, to 
August, 1875; J. A. Edmonson, to August, 1876-7; J. F. Coff- 
man, to August, 1878-80; L. J. Hall, to August, 1881-3; C. L. 
Libby, to May, 1884; W. Hicks, to August, 1884; S. H. Huber, 
to August, 1885-6; C. H. Koyl, to July, 1888. H. L< Wriston was 
appointed at the last date, when the appointment became a part 
of the Wyoming Mission. 

The first Methodist services were held in Evanston, Wy- 
oming, October 19, 1871, by Rev. G. M. Pierce, in the railroad 
section-house. The society was organized and the church erected 
by Brother Pierce. The society and property fell into the terri- 
tory of our Conference by the act of the General Conference 
of 1880, which also brought S. W. Thornton, who was pastor at 
the time. W. F. Warren was sent there at the next session of 
the Conference. He built the parsonage, which was his last work 
before removing to California. Later pastors have been: C. W. 
Brewer, 1881-2; C. H. Koyl, 1883-5; R. E. Buckey, who re- 
mained only about six months, when C. A. Brooks took his 
place, 1886-7. In 1888 it became a part of the Wyoming Mission. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



455 



The first society organized in Rawlins, Wyoming, was by 
Dr. B. F. Crary, presiding elder, December 24, 1876. It was 
reorganized December 26, 1881, with thirteen members, and 
the work of this Church has been continuously prosecuted 
since. 

A small parsonage was erected by Rev. Arthur W. Coffman 
in 1877. An addition was made thereto in 1881-2, by H. M. Law, 
who also built the church, largely with his own hands. 

Its pastors have been: W. H. Greene, A. W. Coffman, N. W. 
Chase, H. M. Law, J. W. Linn. In 1888 it became a part of the 
Wyoming Mission. 

Dr. B. F. Crary, presiding elder, preached the first sermon 
in the Animas Valley, at Howardsville, July 5, 1874. A. Warren 
was the first pastor in that valley, in 1880. William Osburn was 
next sent, from Manitou and Monument, by Dr. Cranston, his 
presiding elder, to Durango, reaching there by stage April 14, 
1 88 1. On the previous morning a man had been seen hanging 
to a tree opposite the post-office. Not long after, Brother Osburn 
was permitted to preach beneath the same tree. The town was 
but six months old. The dens of sinful pleasure were abundant. 
Revolvers were freely worn, and the crack of the pistol was often 
heard. Such were some of the conditions under which Meth- 
odism began its career in Durango. On the following Sabbath, 
April 19th, he preached his first sermon in the Episcopal Church. 
After the discourse he called for members; only one, John J. 
Farmer, responded. 

On May 1, 1881, he organized a class of seventeen members, 
and a Sunday-school at the same time. At the end of that Con- 
ference year he reported fifty-two members and seventeen pro- 
bationers. Ours was the third Church organized, and the only 
one obliged to purchase lots for its building site. Dr. Bell and 
General Palmer rendered very kind and timely assistance. 

The pastor at once began to raise funds to erect a church 
edifice, which was accomplished, and the house was dedicated 
by Dr. Cranston, presiding elder, January 15, 1882. The prop- 
erty was valued at $5,000, and was nearly paid for. 

Brother Osburn's subsequent record is as follows: made a 



456 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



supernumerary in 1883, and attended school. Two years after he 
was sent to Montrose and Delta. At the former place he built 
a neat church, valued at $6,500. While shingling on the roof he 
met with a serious accident, falling therefrom and breaking his 
leg. Loveland, 1888-9, where he finished the parsonage; Morri- 
son, 1890, where he built another church; Georgetown, 1891. 
In 1892 he accepted the position of professor of Natural Science 
in Central Tennessee College, which he still holds. Brother 
Osburn is a scholarly Christian gentleman, and very much be- 
loved by all with whom he has been associated. His record here 
is good, and his work endures. 

The parsonage at Durango was built by J. F. Coffman in 
1887. The Church property was burned July 1, 1889, with much 
of the town. The fire started in the back room of a shoe-shop, 
which had been unoccupied for several days, the proprietor hav- 
ing been away. The four pastors of the city had been making, 
together with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, a vig- 
orous fight against whisky, gambling, and Sabbath desecration. 
They had succeeded in getting the town council to consent to 
pass an ordinance to close all places of business on Sunday, and 
the ordinance would have had its final reading the next evening 
had not the fire occurred; but for that reason its passage was 
deferred till some months later. 

The pastor's personal loss was great — at least $2,500. There 
was $1,500 insurance on the church, and $800 on the parsonage, 
which had alone cost $1,800. They determined to rebuild at 
once; aid came from all over the United States. Drs. Cranston 
and Moore did much to help, both with money and influence. 
At the succeeding Conference, Dr. Moore presented the matter 
of rebuilding the church, when $1,000 was pledged. The Cham- 
berlin Brothers gave $600 to this fund. For rebuilding the par- 
sonage, J. E. Downey, of Pueblo, gave $1,000, and Rev. A. C. 
Peck, of Denver, $500. A nice one with seven rooms was the 
result. Bishop Warren dedicated the new church, free of debt, 
in 1890; which was valued at $9,000, including the lots. The 
parsonage was valued at $3,000. The pastors here have been: 
William Osburn, A. C. Peck, J. Whisler, J. F. Coffman, H. B. 
Cook; J. L. Vallow, 1895-6. 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY-. 



457 



1881. — The: Conference convened in the ''Cloud City," Lead- 
ville, August 3d, Bishop Isaac W. Wiley presiding. Here, 
in this young city, at an altitude of over ten thousand feet, the 
members and visitors of the Conference were royally entertained. 
The bishop conducted the opening exercises, asking J. H. Merritt 
to lead in prayer. Notice of the death of Bishop E. O. Haven 
was received by telegram, and was appropriately noticed by ap- 
preciative resolutions. 

Bishop Wiley remarked, when he introduced the Rev. Will- 
iam Taylor, that "he was the most apostolic bishop in the 
Church to-day," little dreaming that he was forecasting a future 
event. 

Six came to us by transfer, four were transferred from us, 
and seven were admitted on trial, two were discontinued, which 
left an increase of seven. 

The business being all done in "due form," at the close of the 
fifth day the session closed, and the laborers scattered for an- 
other year of toil and sacrifice in the cause of righteousness. 

Those who came in by transfer were: 

S. A. Winsor, from the Georgia Conference. Has served 
the following charges: Fort Collins, Boulder, each two years; 
Trinidad and Georgetown, each one year; made a supernumerary, 
1887; then at Georgetown another year; Fort Lupton, 1889; 
Montrose, 1890-91; superannuated in 1892. He is a man of 
strong convictions, and is ready to defend them on all proper 
occasions. Like the true itinerant, he accepted cheerfully his 
allotment from year to year, and went out to garner in the Mas- 
ter's vineyard. 

Nathaniel, A. Chamberlain, from the Northwest Indiana 
Conference, was born in Effingham County, Illinois, May 27, 
1841. He was converted March 13, 1854, and always felt the 
"call" to the ministry. 

He enlisted in the 13th Regiment Indiana Volunteers, April 
18, 1861, as fifer of Company G, and was appointed hospital 
steward December 15, 1861; assistant surgeon in 1864; and sur- 
geon in August of that year, with the rank of major of cavalry. 
He was in the battles of Rich Mountain, Alleghany, Green River, 



458 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Winchester, Siege of Suffolk, Petersburg, Deep Bottom, De- 
senter House, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, and sixteen other bat- 
tles; making a service of four years and five months. On his 
return to private life, he engaged in the practice of medicine, 
which he successfully pursued until he entered the ministry. 

He joined the Northwest Indiana Conference, September, 
1870; was transferred from the city of La Porte, Indiana, to Chey- 
enne, Wyoming, April 8, 1881; served that charge until August, 
1882; then Canon City, one year; Central City, 1883, until June, 

„ , 1884, when he was made presiding elder 

: of the Southern District, which position 
he filled for six years; at Fifth Avenue, 
Denver, two years, when he was ap- 
pointed superintendent of Wyoming 
Missions, 1892-6. During this last 
named year he resigned his position as 
superintendent, and is quietly resting in 
Denver. 

In November, 1889, he was elected 
a member of the Book Committee, 
which position he held to May, 1896. 
He represented the Conference in 
n. a. chambj3rl,ain. the General Conference of 1892, and was 
first alternate in 1896. His tongue is 
"like the pen of a ready writer." He is a good pastor, an excel- 
lent preacher, and a very efficient leader. He ranks high among 
those who have filled Colorado pulpits. 

B. W. Baker, from the Central Illinois Conference. At St. 
James, Denver, nearly two years, when he was transferred back 
to his old Conference, where he has filled the position of presi- 
dent of Chaddock College, at Quincy, Illinois, for several years. 
The filling of this position indicates his ability and character very 
clearly. 

Robert Woolf Manly, from the Ohio Conference, was 
born August 5, 1830, and died July 15, 1883, at the home of his 
sister in Wenona, Illinois. He served Lawrence Street Church, 




SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



459 



Denver, for nearly two years, when his health gave way; had 
spent most of his ministerial life in the Ohio Conference. He was 
a delegate therefrom to the General Conference of 1876. He 
left a remarkably good record in Colorado, having filled with 
great acceptability the pastorate of Lawrence Street Church. 
Those named below came in on trial: 

Edmond J. Marsh; Wheat Ridge and Argo, where he re- 
mained only about nine months, when he returned East. 

R. H. McDade was born in Ireland; converted at fifteen; 
licensed to preach at nineteen; came to America, and thence to 
Colorado in 1880; at Buena Vista, August following; Alpine and 
St. Elmo, 1882; Salida, 1883, preaching the first sermon there 
on August 14th, from Philippians iv, 6, 7, and formed a class of 
eight members. On October 7th, he started the Sunday-school ; 
afterwards built a church, valued at $800; made a supernumerary 
in 1884; and transferred to the Iowa Conference in 1886. 

James T. Musgrove was born at Alnwick, Northumberland 
County, Ontario, Canada, March 24, 1853; felt from childhood 
that if ever converted he would preach the gospel; converted in 
October, 1868, at Toronto, Canada; attended school in Evans- 
ton, Illinois, from September, 1872, to May, 1880, graduating 
from the Northwestern University in 1879, i n the classical course. 
He then spent one year in the Garrett Biblical Institute. 

He came to Colorado in 1880, and supplied Longmont one 
year before his admission, and one year after; Idaho Springs, 
three years; Argo and Wheat Ridge, five years, — built the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, valued at $3,500, in Argo, in 1886, being 
ably assisted by the Rev. George Richardson, who gave four lots 
for the same and other large contributions; Simpson, Denver, 
1890. During the third year he resigned to accept the position 
of financial agent of the University of Denver. In 1894, on ac- 
count of the illness of his wife, who had been in delicate health 
for some time, he left for California's congenial clime, where she 
died in January, 1896. Brother Musgrove, at the session of 1896, 
took a certificate of location. He is "a workman that needeth 
not to be ashamed," and his name is held in loving remembrance 
by all his associates. 



460 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Charles H. Koyl was born in Chatham, Canada, March 15, 
1855. In 1868 or 1869 his parents moved to Missouri. He came 
thence to Colorado in the spring of 1875; joined the Church, De- 
cember 1, 1878, in Rosita, at a quarterly-meeting held by Presid- 
ing Elder Merritt; January 1, 1879, ne was converted in the same 
place. J. H. Scott, the pastor, appointed him assistant class- 
leader, and the society voted him license to exhort, August 4, 
1879. He preached his first sermon in E.osita six days after. The 
District Conference gave him local preacher's license October 



which was occupied by Presiding Elder Merritt, March 28, 1880, 
at the first quarterly-meeting service held in the town. E. A. 
Doud was superintendent of the Sunday-school, which had been 
organized previously. 

In April, he was sent to Gunnison City, where he arrived 
May 15, 1880. Here he preached in the West Gunnison land- 
office, Sunday, May 21st, from Deuteronomy xxxii, 31. In the 
evening at Gunnison proper, from Deuteronomy xxx, 19, which 
were the first public religious services held in the city. On June 
6th he organized the society, with five members, namely: Barbara 




15, 1879. The presiding elder 
sent him in January following to 
Buena Yista. The first Meth- 
odist service was held by him in 
that town, February 1, 1880, in 
the harness-shop of E. A. Doud; 
text, John xiv, 1. One week later 
he organized a class, consisting 
of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Rabb, 
Mrs. M. A. Weston, M. L. Jones 
and wife, J. T. Wadsworth, Airs. 
Robinson, and Mrs. Mosser. 



c. h. koyl 



Those received on probation 
were: Mrs. Lottie Mague, Mrs. 
George Rounk, and Airs. Laura 
Wright. He and T. P. Cook 
drew up a subscription paper, 
and proceeded to build a church, 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 46 1 



A. Mullen, Henry Teachout, received by letter; and A. Parker, 
William Knight, and W. A. Spencer, on probation. 

A Methodist Sunday-school was organized, July 4, 1880, in 
the West Gunnison land-office. Presiding Elder Merritt held 
the first quarterly-meeting July 8, 1880, and, aided by the pastor, 
selected the present site of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He 
also laid the foundation, and received in donations several thou- 
sand feet of lumber, with which to build the church. 

Brother Koyl was sent to the Fort Collins Circuit for the 
next three years; ordained deacon in 1883, and sent to Evanston, 
Wyoming, three; Laramie City, two; Canon City, three years; 
then to Longmont, five years. Pie is now at Plighlands, Denver, 
where he has already completed and dedicated a house of wor- 
ship. Dr. Vincent and Bishop Warren conducted the services. 
He is an able minister of the New Testament, a faithful pastor, 
and a judicious manager of the important interests committed 
to his care. 

James T. Musgrove, R. H. McDade, F. D. Gamewell, William 
Osburn, C. S. Uzzell, were ordained deacons, and Edward C. 
Dodge elder, at this session. 

1882. — The twentieth session of the Colorado Annual Con- 
ference convened at Colorado Springs, August 3, 1882. Bishop 
R. S. Foster presided. Eight years before it met here, and seven 
years previous to that at old Colorado City, before the former 
town was even thought of. 

This Conference session closed the second decade of its his- 
tory. How does the record stand now, as compared with ten 
years ago? What have been the gains and losses? The increase 
of the last ten years are: 39 ministers, 17 local preachers, 2,544 
lay members, 150 probationers, 20 church-buildings, 24 parson- 
ages, 23 Sunday-schools, 493 officers and teachers, 4,440 scholars 
of all ages. 

The gain in salaries, over the corresponding date, is $30,169; 
in benevolences, $3,287. Not one is now in the active work 
who was here at the organization of the Conference twenty years 
ago. John L. Dyer, who is now on the superannuated list, alone 



462 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

remains to join the present with the past. Of the twenty-seven 
who were enrolled with us ten years ago, seven are here now. 
Those received by transfer were: 

C. W. Buoy, from the Central Pennsylvania Conference; at 
Evans Memorial nearly three years, when he transferred back 
to his former Conference in 1884. He is a son-in-law of Bishop 
Simpson. He was a scholarly, capable preacher, and is still 
"active" in his home Conference. 

Jesse C. Green, from the Alabama Conference. Bessemer, 
one year; Argo and Wheat Ridge, two years. At the Ridge he 

built and paid for a neat church, 
erected on lots donated by Henry 
Lee, Esq.; was appointed to Evans 
in 1885, but did not accept this 
appointment for reasons satisfac- 
tory to himself ; was made a super- 
numerary in 1886; in 1887 he was 
appointed a professor in Baldwin 
Seminary; and in 1890 was trans- 
ferred to the Florida Conference. 
He is a fluent talker and a useful 
man. 

John Harrington, from the 
West Wisconsin Conference, was 
born in 1846 in England, and con- 
verted there in the Church of John 
Weslev; began preaching when 

J. F. HARRIS. - r r\ 1 

sixteen years of age ; came to Colo- 
rado in the spring of 1882, and was stationed at Del Norte in 1883; 
Trinidad, 1885; Georgetown, 1886; Gunnison, 1887; Florence Cir- 
cuit two years, and Colorado City two years. In 1891 he with- 
drew from the Church, and is now a Congregationalist. He is 
in many respects a cogent preacher, and did valiant service while 
he remained with us. 




James F. Harris was born, August 28, 185 1, in East Ten- 
nessee; raised in East Virginia; converted when young; licensed 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 



463 



to preach in Iowa, 1877; joined the Des Moines Conference in 
1879; transferred to the Colorado Conference in 1881; ordained 
deacon that year, and elder two years after. His appointments 
have been: Florence, where he built a parsonage, and organized 
the circuit; Salida, one year; St. James, Denver, two years; 
North Denver, four years. During his last year Asbury Church 
was built, but not finished; Canon City, one year, where he had 
a gracious revival; was transferred to the Southern California 
Conference in October, 1892, and stationed at Coronado Beach 
nine months ; returned to Colorado 
in July, 1893, and supplied Castle 
Rock eight months; was reap- 
pointed to Canon City in June, 
1894; Broadway, Pueblo, 1896. 
He is a genial Christian brother, 
an unusually efficient pastor, and 
a very acceptable preacher. In 
his work he is ably seconded by 
one of the best of wives. Their 
record is good. 

Those received on probation 
were : 

John A. Long was born in 
Jefferson, Schoharie County, New 
York, July n, 1859; converted 
at Eminence, 1887; attended school at Waltham Academy in 
1878. Appointments: Alpine and St. Elmo six months, and Ko- 
komo six months; Del Norte and Saguache, 1883; Erie an( ^ 
Louisville, 1884; Silver Plume, 1885; Fort Collins Circuit, 1886; 
Longmont, 1887; Castle Rock, 1888-90; Windsor, 1891-2; Evans, 
1893-4; Cripple Creek, 1895; Holyoke, 1896. He is a useful 
minister of the gospel. His record is one of the very best, and 
his life is an example to all believers. 

Christian C. Zebold was born January 6, 1856, in Hocking 
County, Ohio; converted at 13; licensed to preach in 1878; came 
30 




4 6 4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



to Colorado in 1881; at Loveland, 1882; Fort Collins Circuit, 
1883-4; Lander, Wyoming, 1885; Del Norte and Monte Vista, 
1886; the next year was given the latter place alone, where he 
died of brain fever May 9, 1888. He was a young man of prom- 
ise. A wife and son mourn his loss. 

H. M. Law and A. W. Coffman were ordained deacons, and 
John F. White elder. 

I select the following from F. C. Millington's report as pre- 
siding elder. "H. M. Law was sent to Rawlins as a supply, with 
a commission to build a church, which he did, leaving one worth 
$3,000. He also enlarged the parsonage. J. T. Mosgrove sold the 
parsonage, bought another, and lots for a church in Longmont. 
The Lupton church is finished at an added cost of $200; W. H. 
Greene is rebuilding the church in Golden; C. H. St. John filled 
out the last half of the year at Black Hawk; the Central City 
church debt is at last provided for; the church is completed in 
Idaho Springs." 

Among those who supplied charges were: 

Henry J. Huston, born November 19, 1832, in Canada; grad- 
uated at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis., in 1852; converted 
at Fairplay, Wis., in 1862; licensed to preach in Saline, Kansas, 
1866; entered the Rock River Conference, 111., the same year, 
where he served eighteen years; became a supernumerary in the 
fall of 1884. 

He supplied work in the Northwest Iowa Conference two 
years, and in Colorado, at Fairplay and Buena Vista, for the 
same lengrri of time. At the former place he built and paid for 
a neat church, having only one member, and he a woodsawyer. 
At Buena Vista he built, furnished, and paid for a parsonage of 
four rooms. Since July, 1888, he has resided in Denver, Colorado. 

Joseph E. Collom, born January 18, 1863; converted at 
Golden under the pastorship of Rev. W. L. Slutz, when fifteen 
years of age; began preaching at sixteen; and was licensed to 
preach at seventeen. Entered into the "Beulah Land" experience 
of "Perfect Love" at the camp-meeting near Arvada, in 1879; 
supplied Golden and Morrison as junior preacher a part of 1881-2. 

He attended Garrett Biblical Institute at Evanston, Illinois, 
one year; then three years at the Theological Seminary at Ober- 



SECOND DECADE OF CONFERENCE HISTORY. 465 

lin, Ohio. During his school term he supplied the following 
charges in Ohio: Collins, three months; Havana and Centerton, 
two years; organized a society at Chicago Junction, which has 
grown into a strong church. After his graduation he became 
a pastor in the Congregational Church; one year in Cleveland, 
Ohio; five in Berea; two in Littleton, Colorado; and one in mis- 
sionary work in Denver, Colorado. He now seeks admission 
into his mother Church, wherein he was born and reared, to labor 
for the Master. He has done excellent work in the ministry, and 
is worthy of all confidence. 



XV. 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 

The history of the religious work in a mining community 
shows necessarily many changes. The population is often largely 
"floating," and principally engaged in "prospecting." Even 
where mines have been opened and worked, because of variation 
in the richness of the vein, the returns vary greatly at different 
times. Sometimes a "camp" may be prosperous and its houses 
full of busy people. Again, its mines yielding small returns, its 
population will be small. This causes certain changes to be, 
relatively, very important at times, while at other periods they 
are rated as only "nominal." From this fact, to say nothing of 
others, pastoral work in these communities is difficult, and pas- 
toral changes frequent. The following named charge is one 
whose history is of the character described. 

Nevada from the beginning was served by pastors from other 
points. In 1872 it stood in the Conference Minutes as a sepa- 
rate charge. During this year a small church was completed. 
S. M. Sears, of Pennsylvania, was the "supply" for the first six 
months, and J. A. Smith, of the Southern Illinois Conference, 
the last half of the year. He came to recruit his health. Four 
weeks afterward the body of his companion was laid upon the 
mountain side. She fell asleep, trusting in "Jesus only," and 
giving all necessary directions as to her two children, as if she 
was only going on a short journey. Near her sleeps Alexander 
Marshman, a local preacher, a former member of this society, of 
precious memory. He was ordained deacon on the same day 
that the writer was as an elder, in Wooster, Ohio. 

The author was sent to Nevada, or Bald Mountain, by the 
request of the society, in 1873. A few souls saved during the 
year. The next three years this appointment was connected with 
Idaho Springs, with J. F. CofTman as pastor one year, and H. L. 
Beardsley two years. Then, for fourteen years, it was a separate 
charge, and w r as served by J. P. Trelour, B. B. Dundass, A. N. 

466 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



467 



Field, John Stocks; H. M. Law, who erected a new brick church; 
O. F. McKay, and Edwin Ward. Then, for the following three 
years, it was connected with Black Hawk, and had for pastors: 
J. H. Williams, in 1892, for a short time; then J. B. Long; C. W. 
Bridwell, 1893-4. 

In 1895-6 it stands alone, with G. A. W. Cage pastor. 

My next appointment was the Erie and Platteville Circuit, 
with John L. Moffitt as a colleague. There were at the time 
only four small societies within the bounds of the charge. After 
looking the ground over, we established preaching at the follow- 
ing places, every two weeks: Platteville, Porter's, Stone's, Es- 
ton's, Bacheldor's, Allen's, Erie, Whitney's, Lupton, Thomp- 
son's, Island Station, Johnson's Crossing, Valmont, Davidson's, 
Coal Creek, Grout, and Hughs, since known as Brighton. These 
seventeen appointments, with pastoral and necessary special work, 
kept us pretty busy. 

On the Big Dry, at Johnson's Crossing, twelve miles north 
of Denver, there lived a family which had just moved down from 
the mountains, where they had had no religious privileges what- 
ever. On our way to the schoolhouse, to hold the first religious 
service ever held in that valley, I overheard the nearly grown 
daughter inquiring of her mother, "what people did at church?" 
She had never been to church or a Sunday-school. The mother 
replied, "You watch and see how others do, and do the same." 
It was an inspiration to preach the gospel to an intelligent human 
being for the first time. That young lady became deeply inter- 
ested, and has since become a 'Christian. 

One experience has been indelibly stamped upon my memory, 
and has been a source of inspiration that has grown with the 
years as they have passed. On yonder prairie plateau there 
stands a lonely house of three rooms. On a humble bed in one 
of the rooms the eldest son, past seventeen, is dying. Two 
brothers and a sister had in other days gone on before. The night 
was cool, calm, and almost as light as day. It was the evening 
of March 11, 1875. The dying one had exhorted all who called 
the day previous to prepare for death, and to meet him in heaven. 
He gave directions as to the dressing of his body and its burial 
as quietly as though he were going away on a visit. The follow- 



468 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ing are a few of his last utterances: "I do believe, I now believe 
that Jesus has washed my sins away. O, happy day when Jesus 
washed my sins away! I am going home in the good old way. 
Glory to God! Hallelujah!" To one who departed this life only 
a short time ago (1895), he said: "When you come to die, may 
God be merciful to your soul! Prepare for death at once, and 
do not put it off until the last moment." The answer was: "Time 
enough for that when I come to die." What fallacious reasoning! 
He replied: "You may not be blessed with your reason, as I have 
been. My head has been clear all the time." He said to his 
mother: "Formerly I had planned to make money. Were I to 
get well, that might all go. My only desire to recover is that I 
might preach to save souls. I do not wish to be called smart or 
eloquent, but I want to preach so as to have revivals all the time." 
To his aunt Rebecca he said: "Before this I had such a fear of 
death. I have none now. I am not afraid to die." He requested 
those present to sing something. His mother began, 

"There is a fountain filled with blood," 

when he exclaimed, "That's it; that is what I wanted." The 
twenty-third Psalm had been the source of great comfort to him 
for months, and, as he was entering the valley, his mother asked 
him if the fourth verse still cheered him. He assured her that it 
did. Then he inquired, "Will the little ones meet me there?" 
Being told that they would, he replied, "We four will meet you 
when you come." He endeavored to sing the second verse of the 
hymn, — 

"My Father's house is built on high, 
Far, far above the starry sky." 

His voice failed him. He repeated, in broken accents, the 
chorus, — 

"I 'm going home, I 'm going home, 
I 'm going home to die no more." 

At the very last moment his mother asked him if he was still 
happy. "Yes, mother; happy! happy! happy!" The last "happy" 
was scarcely audible. Folding his hands across his breast, he 
closed his eyes, and ceased to breathe. The freed spirit took its 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



469 



flight, "washed in the blood of the Lamb." Previous to this, 
while not a breath of air was stirring and the moon was shining 
brightly, sounds were distinctly heard like something beating the 
air. The watchers went oft to the door or window to find the 
cause, but nothing was discernible. After the decease of the 
loved one the sounds were no longer heard. 

They were reminded of Bishop McKendree's dying words, — 

"Bright angels are from glory come, 
They 're round my bed, they 're in my room, 
They wait to waft my spirit home, — 
All is well, all is well." 

That young man was our eldest son, then in his eighteenth 
year. This was the severest blow of our whole lives. His body 
awaits the resurrection in the Longmont cemetery. God's grace 
was abundant. His will was best. 

I was willing to return, but the work was divided, and it was 
thought best that I should go to Black Hawk. In this charge 
I spent two pleasant years, and then asked to be changed to a 
lower altitude. While here we had good congregations, a very 
prosperous Sunday-school work under the efficient labors of 
Joseph Powel, superintendent, and, through the blessing of God, 
a few souls were saved. The church property was somewhat im- 
proved. 

The first church in Black Hawk was built while George Wal- 
lace was pastor, in 1869-70. The pastors serving here have been: 
C. King, O. P. McMains, B. T. Vincent, W. W. Baldwin, G. W. 
Swift, George Wallace, P. McNutt, W. L. Slutz, I. H. Beardsley, 
E. C. Dodge, C. A. Brooks, J. C. Green, J. A. Smith, John Stocks, 
T. A. Story; J. F. White, who erected a new church; A. L. Chase, 
J. H. Williams, C. W. Bridwell; F. T. Krueger, 1895-6. 

When the session of 1877 closed, I found myself placed at 
Del Norte, in the San Luis Valley, of which I had not even a 
hint. This was to me like a thunderclap in a clear sky, and was 
a severe shock to my nervous system. No sleep came to my 
eyes that night, nor rest to my tired body. The first impulse 



470 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

was, "I will not go." After several days of prayer and deliber- 
ation, I decided to go and do my very best. I have always been 
glad that I so decided. 

This so-called valley is an elevated plain, in dimensions sixty 
by one hundred miles, and surrounded by towering mountains, 
capped with eternal snow. On the east side stands the "Sierra 
Blanca," the loftiest "peak" of the Rocky Mountains. Near its 
southern base stood Fort Garland, which the railroad had just 
reached. The balance of the distance, to the west side of the 
valley, was traversed by coach. On the south bank of the Rio 
Grande River the town of Del Norte was situated. I went down 
by rail and coach, looked the ground over, preached twice, and 
returned for my wife and goods. We drove through with our 
own conveyance, by the way of Pueblo and the Le Veta Pass, a 
distance of two hundred and eighty miles, spending one Sabbath 
at Pueblo, preaching twice in the First Church, and another at 
Fort Garland, preaching to the soldiers in the morning, and lec- 
turing on temperance at night. 

At Del Norte I found a stone church, 40 x 60, inclosed, but 
not finished. Upon this there was quite a debt. In the society 
there were but ten members left. All the rest had moved away. 
None of them were in easy circumstances. There was no par- 
sonage, and no money to build one. A vacant house could 
not be found. There was no alternative, only to build; but 
where was the material to come from? Work would be donated. 
The people had no money, and I had none; yet T determined to 
build one, of two rooms. How could it be done? I solicited 
donations of material, and soon we had the house inclosed, but 
our humble abode was unfinished, and our resources were ex- 
hausted. What was to be done? We could not live in it as it 
was; winter was approaching, and not a cent in sight. Some- 
thing had to be done quickly. 

Four years before, when in London, England, I had bought 
a black silk dress for my better half, which had not been made 
up. This she sold (unknown to me) for $43. With that money 
the parsonage was completed, and we moved in. Though small, 
it made us quite comfortable for nearly two years. Afterward 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



471 



it was enlarged by Brother Parmenius Smith, and is yet occu- 
pied for parsonage purposes. 

Rev. A. M. Darley, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in the 
San Luis Valley, and the writer alternated some of the time in 
preaching in Del Norte. During the winter months we occa- 
sionally would come together there on the Sabbath, when one 
would take the morning service, and the other the evening. 
Every two weeks I went to the country, either to Saguache,* the 
"Piadra" — near the present site of Monte Vista — or "Shocks," 
which was just above where Alamosa now stands. In this town 

1 preached the first Methodist sermon, October 6, 1878, in the 
dining-room of a boarding-house, from John iv, 7. 

Much of the country was then open, and where now are beau- 
tiful farms and nourishing towns, I often killed rabbits and other 
game. For a time the services in Del Norte were held in the 
court-house, which was a two-story frame structure built of 

2 x 4's, spiked together flatwise. The upper floor was of the 
same material, set on the edges, making the floor four inches in 
thickness. In this there were not a few small cracks, owing to 
the difference in the width of the scantling. The down-stairs part 
was used for a jail; the up-stairs for court purposes. In this 
"upper room" the Sunday-school and church were held. Oft- 
times the occupants below would disturb the congregation above 
by stamping of feet, loud talking, singing, or shouting, as the 
notion took them. Sometimes they would put red pepper on 
their stove, which caused no little coughing and sneezing in the 
congregation above. 

The Sunday-school convened at ten o'clock A. M., and the 
preaching service was at eleven. 

One cold, wintry morning the stove would not draw, except 
the wmng way. What was to be done? The children were 
gathering for the Sunday-school. The room was cold. The 
soot from the burning of "Pinon" wood had stopped up the 
chimney. Rev. A. M. Darley, who was familiar with such con- 
ditions, sent a boy home to get some powder, with which to blow 
out the soot. A handful of the powder was wrapped in paper, 
set on fire, and then thrust into the chimney, from which the 



472 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



stovepipe had been removed. The pipe was quickly replaced, 
the stove-door and lid held tightly in place, when, in a few mo- 
ments, the explosion did its work well, and the draught was all 
right. During the services that followed less noise was heard 
from below than usuaL None of us knew that the chimney 
started from the room below, and that there was a cook-stove 
connected with it there. Afterward we learned that the explo- 
sion blew the covers off their stove, and scattered the fire about 
the room, which took fire. But for a pail of water, in all proba- 
bility the building would have been burned, with considerable 
loss of life. The prisoners thought we did it to punish them for 
their previous misbehavior. This, however, was the farthest 
from our thought. Suffice it to say, that after that we were never 
disturbed by noisy prisoners in the lower room. 

Saguache, one of my appointments on this charge, was thirty- 
five miles north of Del Norte. The road traveled kept close to 
the foot-hills on the west side of the valley, while the almost level 
plain stretched away eastward for sixty miles to the "Sangre de 
Christo" range of mountains, which tower into the region of 
perpetual snow, not unlike the Alps about Jungfrau. There were 
no settlements between the towns, except in two places where 
streams put out from the western mountains, and there even 
were only one or two houses on each. The road crossed the 
"Lagarita" Creek, nine miles north of Del Norte, and the "Ca- 
naro," seven miles farther on. 

In my travels I drove a pair of ponies to an open buggy. 
On my last trip northward, a large buck, of the deer species, 
stood in the road, and defied me until I was almost upon him. 
This time I had gone prepared for any emergency (or I would 
not be writing these lines) with a musket and an old-style Colt's 
navy revolver. The former was loaded with buckshot, and the 
latter with ball. My wife accompanied me on the trip. It was 
an Indian summer day, though late in the fall. Soon after cross- 
ing the Lagarita, we noticed two rough-looking Mexicans riding 
on horseback, a little to our right on the open prairie. At first 
we thought nothing of this, as that was no unusual thing. They 
wore blankets over their shoulders, and had camp equipages 
attached to their saddles; such as rolls of bedding, frying-pan, 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



473 



coffee-pot, and tin cups. What seemed out of the usual order of 
things was this, when we drove fast they rode fast, and when we 
drove slow they rode slow; but even then we thought of this 
only as a coincidence. 

At a small brooklet taking out from the "Canaro" was the 
"half-way house," a stage station between Del Norte and Sagu- 
ache, where the horses were exchanged. Here I watered my 
ponies and prepared to go forward, when I noticed the two 
horsemen riding slowly along, a quarter of a mile in our rear. 
From here to Saguache was seventeen miles, without a house, 
and with only two slight swells in an almost level plain. Mid- 
way there was, perhaps, four miles of "Chico," a small, thorny 
shrub somewhat like a currant-bush. In damp ground this grew 
eight or ten feet high. Half a mile from the north edge of the 
"Chico" was a marshy piece of ground, where the bush had a 
tall growth. Here the road made a crook to the west like an 
ox-bow. At the extreme point of the bend the stage company 
had sunk a well, from which to water their horses. A bridle-path 
led straight across the marshy space, which was much shorter 
than the traveled road, but was not passable for wagons, except 
when the ground was frozen, and even then it was quite rough 
and undesirable to travel. 

No sooner had we passed over the ridge out of sight of the 
stage station than those horsemen were up to us, with their 
horses' heads at our backs. I looked them over, and concluded 
that they were hard characters, and that their presence meant no 
good to us. Stopping my team, I picked up the revolver, and 
said, "Gentlemen, go ahead, or you are dead men," and I meant 
just what I said. They were nonplused. Each looked at the 
other for a moment or two, then rode around in front of my team, 
and halted. Still holding the revolver in my hand, pointing it at 
them, I said, "Gentlemen, move on quickly, or you are dead 
men." They then rode on in a gallop for about two or more 
miles, and we close behind them. It was past the noon hour, and 
we wanted to camp for lunch. Just before coming to the "Chico," 
I slowed up until they had passed over a ridge out of sight, when 
we halted by the roadside, turned out the ponies to graze, and 
sat down on the ground to eat our lunch, hoping that we were 



474 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



rid of them; but we were mistaken, for soon they came riding 
slowly back. I seized the old army musket (for such it was), 
dropped on one knee, and took a good aim, intending to shoot 
as soon as they were close enough. Observing this, they wheeled 
and were soon out of sight. Surely, we thought, now we are clear 
of them. We ate our lunch, rested forty minutes, and then hur- 
ried on our way, as we had several miles of that thick Chico to 
pass through. When we reached the top of that ridge we saw 
the men, one on each side of the road, waiting for us. There 
was no reasonable excuse for their delay, as there was neither 
water nor grass in that locality. Over this track we must pass, 
because there was no other, and through the Chico we could not 
drive where there was no road. I said: "Those men intend to 
kill me, hide my body in the Chico for the coyotes to devour, 
then murder you, take the ponies, buggy, robes, and skip. I will 
kill one of them. The other may kill me. Here is the revolver. 
Sell your life as dear as you can." Placing the lines in her hands, 
and the gun to my shoulder, we drove forward, determined to 
shoot as soon as near enough. 

When they saw us approaching in this manner, they vaulted 
into their saddles and were off at a lively gallop. Coming to the 
bend in the road, they kept straight, across, while we had to take 
the curve. As we drove slowly up to the well, I chided myself 
for thinking that they meant any mischief. I said to my com- 
panion, "You watch while I water the ponies." One had drunk; 
a pail of water was drawn for the other, when she said, "Here they 
come." I looked, and there, only a stone's-throw away, they 
were just emerging single file from the tall Chico. I then saw 
that each was lying down on the opposite side of his horse, In- 
dian style, right foot on the saddle, and right hand hold of the 
horse-mane. I could only see the toe of one boot, and the head 
of the man under the horse's neck. If I was ever religiously 
angry, it was then. God says, "Be angry, and sin not." Grab- 
bing the gun, I took aim for the head man, and just as I touched 
the trigger with my finger, something seemed to say to me, 
"Motion for them to retreat." I did so, just as the rear man came 
into view. He saw the motion, sprang into his saddle, and took 
down the cow-path, up which they had come, at a terrific rate. 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



475 



The other, finding himself forsaken, quickly followed suit. I 
jumped into the buggy, and ran the ponies around to the north 
edge of the Chico, where their path came out into our road. Here 
I awaited their approach, with the gun to my shoulder and my 
back to the horses. When they saw that I had beat them in 
reaching this strategic point, and that there was no show to get 
the drop on me, they "about faced," and rode away. Though we 
traveled that road for nearly two years after, we never saw them 
again. 

Another incident will be of interest in showing the character 
of many who were roaming over the country: 

A party of six went fifteen miles up the Rio Grande to Hall's 
ranch for fishing. We hooked only one trout, and he was so 
large that he got away while landing him. This was my first 
and last fishing excursion since entering the ministry, but it was 
a paying one. Three weeks before this a brother of mine, who 
was prospecting a little west of Fairplay, wrote me that his horses 
had either strayed or were stolen, and requested me to look out 
for them. Mentioning this fact to Mr. Hall, with whom we w T ere 
stopping, and describing the horses to him, he exclaimed, "Those 
horses are now just over that ridge beyond my field, in an ob- 
scure park, and that fellow sitting yonder brought them here. 
He has stolen them, and we will hang him." To that quiet re- 
treat the writer and Captain W T illiam Light hastened with all 
possible speed. Sure enough we found the lost horses. One 
was nearly dead from injuries received while crossing the moun- 
tains, but the other was all right. This one belonged to him who 
pens these lines. The next day the thief was to have gone on 
south with the well horse, leaving the injured one to die, which 
it did a few days later. This discovery changed his program, 
and came near costing him his life, as those hardy frontiersmen 
sometimes meted out speedy punishment in this manner. He was 
arrested, placed in jail; but just before his trial he escaped there- 
from, and skipped the country. 

One member, who had plenty of hay to sell when it brought 
him three dollars per ton, paid his pastor seven dollars for a 
year's preaching; but when, on account of new mining discov- 
eries, it brought him sixty and seventy dollars per ton, he gave 



476 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



two dollars, and not one cent to his presiding elder. Comment 
is unnecessary. 

Before the close of the second year, through a liberal dona- 
tion from the good people of the First Church, of Lawrence, 
Kansas, and by means of help from other sources, the church 
debt in Del Norte was paid off. The inside was covered with 
white muslin, and fitted up for church uses. The membership 
was trebled, and a flourishing Sunday-school established. The 
receipts from the charge the first year were, counting everything, 
two hundred dollars. The second year a trifle more was re- 
ceived. God gave us rich blessings and much comfort. 

J. E. Rickard, while on this charge, inclosed a frame church 
at Milton, before the adjoining town of Saguache, one mile dis- 
tant, was thought of. This was in 1873-4. By the building up 
of the opposition town, this was left in the country, and became 
of little use. 

T. P. Cook laid the foundation, and J. H. Scott inclosed the 
church at Del Norte. The building was of stone, plain and com- 
modious. The pastors here have been: J. E. Rickards, T. P. 
Cook, J. H. Scott, I. H. Beardsley, J. P. TreloUr, Parmenius 
Smith, John Harrington, J. A. Long, P. McNutt, E. C, Brooks, 
C. C. Zebold, J. P. Bishop, Tilmon Jenkins, G. M. Glick, J. D. 
Bratton, H. M. Law, John Moore, and W. E. Perry. 

Trinidad. — The Church here began under very discouraging 
conditions, but has developed into a strong, prosperous society. 

Rev. E. J. Rice reached Trinidad, Colorado Territory, October 
13, 1869. Here he found a little Sunday-school, under the super- 
intendence of E. J. Hubbard, with Frank Bloom, librarian; Joseph 
Davis, Bible class teacher; a Mr. Barraclough, chorister. On the 
following Sabbath, October 17th, Brother Rice preached from 
Hebrews x, 7, to about thirty persons, mostly women and chil- 
dren. The services were held in a low, small room, without floor, 
which was cheerless in the extreme. 

He thanked God for the privilege. The Sunday-school that 
day had fourteen scholars. Outside of this little circle there was 
no Sabbath. Business houses were all open. Horse-racing, 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



477 



gambling, and drinking were generally approved, if not practiced, 
and Sabbath was a day of revelry and sinful indulgences. 

October 30th he organized a class of eight members, some 
of which remain to this day. He gave the lots on which the 
church and parsonage now stand. He died here, April 7, 1872, 
"in full assurance of faith," leaving a wife, son, and daughter to 
mourn his loss. The seed sown by this true servant of Christ 
has had a wonderful growth. The church-building was begun 
by Brother Rice, but finished by Rev. J. R. Moore, 1873. At 
the close of the Conference session, 1879, the writer was sent 
to Trinidad, at the request of that society. Here we found a 
small membership, composed entirely of "elect" women. The 
offices of the Church were filled by them, and they did their work 
nobly. There was no loitering by the way. Everything was 
done on time. 

We could not find a house or room in which to set up house- 
keeping. At our boarding-place we were obliged to sleep on the 
floor for three months. The church needed repairs badly, hence 
the society did not feel able to build a parsonage. After much 
prayer I resolved, to make the effort, and so stated to Thomas 
Stevens, Esq., a business man, who was not a member of the 
Church, though his wife was one of the stewards. His reply was: 
"Go ahead and build a good, comfortable parsonage; one that we 
will not be ashamed of. Collect all you can. Draw on me for 
the balance." I started out with my subscription-book. One 
man gave me the shingles, in memory of his godly father ; another 
gave four thousand bricks, and still another two hundred. The 
next man would put in a two-foot foundation of stone; others 
gave lumber, lath, hardware, and others still agreed to donate 
work. A few gave money. In a week's time the structure began 
to rise. A neat brick parsonage of five rooms was erected and 
paid for, of which Mr. Stevens paid the last bill, amounting to 
one hundred and fifty dollars. 

The adobe church was in need of repairs. One corner was 
nearly ready to tumble down, and the steeple was unfinished. 
October 19, 1879, I was ^ ec ^ to preach from Malachi iii, 10. Just 
before the text was announced, a short, heavy-set man dropped 



47 8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



quietly into a seat. Some way I felt that I was preaching to him 
alone. God gave me a wonderful blessing that morning as I 
dwelt upon the theme suggested by the text, especially the last 
part of it. The next day the gentleman above, alluded to called 
me from the opposite side of the street. We met in the middle 
of Main Street, on the bridge over the arroyo. He grasped my 
hand, saying: "I was at church yesterday, and heard your ser- 
mon. My mother was a Methodist. I was rocked in a Methodist 
cradle. God has prospered me financially. I want to do some- 
thing for him. With your permission, I will fix up your church, 
finish the steeple, and pay all the expense myself." I said, the 
tears coursing down both our cheeks: ''God bless you. You are 
the very man I have been looking for. Go ahead." The ugly- 
looking adobes were encircled by a frame inclosure, the steeple 
completed, and a good bell put therein. The whole painted inside 
and out. A carpet was then placed on the church floor by the 
ladies. The improvements cost the gentleman about $1,000. His 
name is Daniel Taylor, Esq. At that time he was not a Church 
member. The bell was mostly paid for by other parties. 

Two years of hard but blessed work here found our nervous 
systems giving way. Dr. Cranston, our popular presiding elder, 
gave me for the following year a nominal appointment, that we 
might have a year of much needed rest. The year was spent in 
the East visiting relatives, and enjoying a course of lectures in 
the Baltimore Medical College. Our Sabbaths were spent preach- 
ing the gospel in some one of the many Methodist churches in 
the Monumental City, or in those of the adjacent country. At its 
close we reported to headquarters for duty. 

During the four years spent in Southern Colorado, we had 
driven to the Conference session and back again each year, camp- 
ing out and sleeping on the ground generally along the way. 
These trips amounted to about six hundred miles a year, with 
our own conveyance. They were years of toil, much anxiety, 
not a few sacrifices, great spiritual profit, and some success along 
all lines of Church work. We would not recall them. God was 
with us. Praise his name! 

The pastors at Trinidad have been: E. J. Rice, supplied from 
1869 to 1872; J. R. Moore, 1872 to 1874; B. A. Washburn, 1874; 



PERSONAL HISTORY. 



479 



J. E. Rickards, 1875-6; H. S. Hilton, 1877; J. P. Tralour, 1878; 
I. H. Beardsley, 1879-80; C. S. Uzzell, 188 1-2, who had quite 
a revival; John Harrington, 1883-4; S. A. Winsor, 1885; L. J. 
Hall, 1886, J. A. Smith, 1887-8; G. S. Oliver, 1889, who remained 
only a short time, when M. A. Casey, from the Central Ohio Con- 
ference, supplied the vacancy. He remained nearly four years. 
During his pastorate the church-building was greatly enlarged 
and beautified. During the last year the parsonage, which made 
a comfortable home for the preachers for thirteen years, was torn 
down, and a larger and much better one built on the same site, 
the gift of Rev. William Plested and his wife. Brother Casey 
had many additions to the Church. N. H. Lee, 1893-6. This 
last pastorate has been one of marked success and of constant 
advance. 

The year 1882 the Conference was held in Colorado Springs, 
by Bishop R. S. Foster. The session was unusually interesting, 
and highly enjoyable. At its close I was sent to Wheat Ridge 
and Argo. My health was not sufficiently recovered for me to 
do extra work. I was able to preach twice on the Sabbath. 
There were some additions to the Church during the term. A 
barn was built on the parsonage grounds. A church site was 
secured, the gift of Henry Lee, Esq. A church-building was 
erected on this less than two years after, by the Rev. J. C. Greene, 
1884-5, costing about $2,500. 

The class and Sunday-school here were organized by Rev. 
R. H. Rhodes, January 11, 1874. He and family have been loyal 
supporters ever since. The parsonage was built during the pas- 
torate of C. L. Libby, in 1880, on an acre of ground donated by 
David Brothers, Esq., who has never swerved from the line of 
duty in Church or Sunday-school since the society was organ- 
ized. This Church could not have existed or prospered as it has 
but for his influence and liberality. The pastors have been, in 
connection with Arvada: G. S. Allen, N. S. Buckner, R. H. 
Rhodes, John Stocks, W. H. Gillam, C. S. Uzzell, C. L. Libby. 
While he was pastor, it was separated from Arvada, and joined 
with Argo, remaining thus for twelve years. Since this change, 
L. Wright; E. J. Marsh, for seven months; and R. H. Rhodes, 
31 



480 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



for the balance of the year; I. H. Beardsley, J. C. Greene, J. T. 
Musgrove; J. W. Linn, for two years, when it became a separate 
charge; A. L. Chase, 1895-6. 

The first religious service was held in Argo by F. C. Milling- 
ton, presiding elder, in February, 1880, using this text, "The 
Master is come and calleth for thee." The next seven months 
W. C. Roby was the preacher. In September, 1880, C. L. Libby 
became the pastor, and organized the Argo Methodist Episcopal 
Church. April 11, 1881, he resigned, when L. Wright took the 
charge the balance of the Conference year. E. J. Marsh to Feb- 
ruary 15, 1882, when he left; R. H. Rhodes filled the vacancy; 
I. H. Beardsley, 1882; J. C. Greene, 1883-4; J. T. Musgrove for 
five years. During his pastorate the church was built, in 1885-6, 
on lots donated by Rev. George Richardson, who also gave very 
liberally in cash, and but for his generosity the building could not 
have been erected. The property is valued at $3,500. Then 
J. W. Linn to July, 1892. During these twelve years Argo was 
united with Wheat Ridge. In 1892 it was connected with the 
newly-organized society of Greenwood. Charles W. Huett, pas- 
tor for three years; C. C. P. Hiller, 1895-6. 

The second decade of the Conference history closes with 43 
church edifices, valued at $182,400; 31 parsonages, valued at 
$43,615; 3,971 members and probationers; 58 Sunday-schools, 
with 708 officers and teachers, and 6,290 scholars of all ages. 
These figures show constant and substantial progress. Yet who 
can tell the work done in preparing the stones for the spiritual 
temple of the living God? 



THE THIRD DECADE. 

The twenty-first session of the Colorado Conference of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, met in Lawrence Street Methodist 
Episcopal Church, Denver, July 25, 1883, with Bishop Isaac W. 
Wiley presiding. 

The bishop was in very poor health at the time, and was 
scarcely able to attend to the duties of the office during the ses- 
sion. Happily, Bishop Simpson was in the city resting, that he 
might regain his wonted strength, and assisted the former bishop 
in his official work, preaching for him on the Sabbath. Bishop 
Wiley pleasantly alluded to the presence of his colleague in his 
opening address, saying both are in poor health, but "between 
us we can make one bishop." 

Eleven were transferred out of the Conference, and five came 
into it by transfer. Eight were admitted on trial. One withdrew, 
and two were located at their own request. These changes made 
the working force of the Conference one less than at the opening 
of the session. The "supplies" were R. L. Kenyon, Gilbert De 
LaMatyr, Thomas Winsor, F. F. Passmore, A. D. Fairbanks, — 
all efficient workers in the fields to which they were assigned. 

From Presiding Elder Millington's report I select the follow- 
ing items: "Death claimed a little babe from the home of Brother 
Ewert at Caribou, and her remains are buried ten thousand feet 
above sea-level. Brother Thornton had to move from Central, 
because of his wife's health. Brother Plilton resigned at Chey- 
enne, and went East to save his beloved wife. Brother Rhodes 
resigned Silver Plume, because of his health. There are reported 
271 conversions on the district. The church has been improved 
and debt paid at Boulder. Lots secured for a church at Erie. 
A $6,000 church built in Longmont. At Evans the United Pres- 
byterian Church, worth $2,000, has been bought, and the old 
church will be changed into a parsonage. A society has been 
formed at Windsor, and lots secured for a church. G. N. El- 
dridge has been transferred to fill the vacancy at Cheyenne. A 

481 



482 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



church built at Rawlins by H. M. Law. Parsonage completed 
at Arvada. The last dollar of the church debt paid at Central 
City, and the parsonage completed. A debt of $850 on the 
church at Black Hawk paid, the people paying $500, and using 
additional $350 borrowed from the Church Extension Society. 
A church built at Platteville, and dedicated by Dr. Moore." 

Dr. Cranston, presiding elder of the Southern District, pre- 
sented a very interesting report, from which a few facts are taken: 
"J. H. Scott has started at Telluride. William Hicks supplied 
Gunnison. C. S. Uzzell wishes to retire. H. J. Huston built a 
church in Fairplay last year. This year he has built and paid for 
a parsonage in Buena Vista. Fairplay and Alma supplied by 
J. R. Shannon, of the Cincinnati Conference; when spring came 
he left. F. F. Passmore took his place. A church was dedicated 
at Kokomo in April, i88t ; to this place John A. Long was sent. 
It became necessary for him to teach a part of the year. George 
Armstrong began the work in Aspen." 

The following incident is reported by the secretary: "At this 
point a happy lull occurred from the business of the Conference, 
as Earl Cranston, D. D., had been requested by I. H. Beardsley 
to present a very valuable cane to the Conference. The staff was 
made from an east window sill of the first mission building in the 
Northwest, the Wyandot Mission, at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, 
and crowned with an olive-wood head, purchased by him in Jeru- 
salem, March, 1873. On motion, Bishop Wiley was requested 
to present it to Dr. D. H. Moore, chancellor of Denver Univer- 
sity, which was done in a pleasant, instructive, and useful speech, 
which was responded to in one of Dr. Moore's happiest moods; 
at the close of which, by the permission of the Conference and of 
the giver, he presented the cane to Bishop I. W. Wiley. The 
bishop accepted it, and stated that when he should fall in his 
work, the cane should be returned to the chancellor" (Conference 
Journal, page 20), which was done in accordance with this assur- 
ance. The Conference adjourned on the fifth day of its session, 
having worked in unity and with good fellowship. 

Those transferred into the Conference, and assigned to work 
therein, were: 

G. N. Eldridge, from the East Maine Conference. Filled 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



483 



-out the previous year at Cheyenne, and returned, 1883-4; Colo- 
rado Springs, 1885; California Street, Denver, 1886-8, when the 
location and name were changed to that now known as "Christ 
Church," to which he was appointed in 1889; was transferred 
to the Northwest Indiana Conference in 1890. He left a good 
record as preacher, pastor, and manager of the interests of the 
Church of Christ. 

A. W. Arundal, from the East Ohio Conference. Served 
Colorado Springs faithfully three years, and then withdrew from 
the Church in 1885. to become 
a minister in a sister denomina- 
tion. 

C. W. Brewer, from the 
Wisconsin Conference, was 
born in Dauphin County, Pa., 
April 8, 1835. His father, 
Thomas Brewer, was born in 
England, and his mother in 
Wales. In 1844 his parents 
moved to Albany, Whiteside 
County, Illinois. When eigh- 
teen years of age he was con- 
verted, and feeling called to the 
ministry, entered the Garrett 
Biblical Institute in 1857. At 
the end of the seventh month he 
was compelled to return home; subsequently was examined by 
Rev. Luke Hitchcock, presiding elder, and given a license as a 
local preacher. In the fall of 1858, he was led, in a providential 
way, into the Upper Iowa Conference, and appointed as junior 
pastor on the Maquoketa Circuit. For nine months' service here 
his entire receipts were $47.50. He was ordained deacon by Bishop 
Scott, September 22, 1861, and stationed at Lansing, Iowa. Real- 
izing the necessity of a more thorough preparation for the work 
of the ministry, he returned to the Garrett Biblical Institute. The 
call for men to defend the Government was heard, and in July, 
1863, he enlisted in Battery D, 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, 




4 8 4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and was ordered to Fort Jackson, Louisiana. He was discharged 
for disability, April 22, 1865. In the fall of 1866, after a severe 
struggle to evade duty, he took work in the Wisconsin Confer- 
ence. In July, 1876, he was married to Miss Susan P. Shoemaker, 
of Branchville, New Jersey. On account of pulmonary troubles 
and asthma, contracted in the army, he was transferred, in 1883, 
to Colorado, and has served the following charges: Evanston, 
Wyoming; Fort Collins, Colorado; Canon City; St. James, Den- 
ver. At the close of his second year here, in 1889, he was made 
a supernumerary, which relation has continued, except for one 
year, when he served as State superintendent of the "Children's 
Home Society" of Colorado. Brother Brewer is a clear, logical 
reasoner, and a very interesting, forcible preacher. He impresses 
all with the sincerity of his convictions, the genuineness of his 
own experience, and the honest longing of his soul to lead men 
to Christ. 

I. N. Mo RE head, from the South Kansas Conference, was 
sent to Pueblo, where he remained three years, and then was 
transferred to the Central Pennsylvania Conference. His pas- 
torate was short, and confined to one place. He planned and 
secured the erection of the Main Street Church in Pueblo. 

Those admitted on trial were: 

Harvey M. Law was born in Ritchie County, West Virginia, 
April 9, 1848. He does not remember when he did not feel that 
he was to be a minister of the gospel. Pie was given a local 
preacher's license September 29, 1866; traveled a part of two 
years under the presiding elder in the West Virginia Conference ; 
then came West, and worked at the carpenter's trade for seven 
years. From 1877 to 1883 he supplied works in the Colorado 
Conference, when he was admitted on trial, having been ordained 
a local deacon the year previous. His appointments since enter- 
ing the Conference have been: Rawlins, three years; Lamar and 
Montrose, each one year; Glenwood Springs, four years, where 
he built a church valued at $3,500; Del Norte and Gunnison, each 
one year; Basalt, 1896. Brother Law is faithful to the Church, 
and loyal to God and the great plan of salvation. His work 
abides. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



485 



A. L. T. Ewart was born in Prussia, July 16, 1853, and came 
with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, in 1857; was soundly con- 
verted in 1872; came to Colorado in 1880; has served the follow- 
ing charges: Loveland, six months; Caribou, one year; Silver 
Plume; Rawlins, Wyoming, each three years; Fort Collins, two 
years; Central City, three years; was transferred to the Illinois 
Conference in 1892. He is a conscientious man of God, an able 
minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. 



Arthur C. Peck was born in Cardington, Ohio, November 
14, 1858. He was educated in the common schools of his native 
town, East Greenwich Acad- 
emy, and Boston University; 
received the degree of Mas- 
ter of Arts from the Univer- 
sity of Denver, 1891; came 
from the Peck family that 
has furnished so many 
preachers to our Church; 
converted in 1879; licensed 
to exhort, 1880, and to 
preach in the following July ; 
came to Colorado in 1883, 
having just been married to 
Miss Frances Edna Potter, 
of Clinton, Mass.; recom- 
mended to the Colorado 
Conference by the Quarterly 
Conference of Lawrence 

Street Church, where he preached his first sermon in the State; 
admitted on trial, and elected to deacon's orders under the mis- 
sionary rule, July, 1883. His first appointment was Durango; 
next, Longmont, 1884-5; then First Church, Colorado Springs, 
1886-91. He had a most successful pastorate there of nearly five 
years' duration. Several great revivals were blessed in the up- 
lifting of the people. The membership was increased more than 
three hundred per cent, the side of the church-building taken out, 
and the seating capacity increased more than two hundred, the 




a. c. peck. 



486 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



debts paid, and the Church became the second in the State in 
point of membership and general prosperity. 

In January, 189 1, he was elected dean of the Colorado Semi- 
nary, and given the business management of this institution. 
University Hall and Wycliffe Cottage were erected during his 
administration. The school was also moved from the city to 
University Park. He was the first State president of the Young 
People's Society of Christian Endeavor in Colorado, and organ- 
ized the work therein. 

In November, 1892, having previously resigned his position 
with the university, he began a work to which he had felt called 



medical dispensary, employment bureau, and clothes-room fur- 
nish succor for the unfortunate. In one year over thirty-two 
thousand meals, and more than ten thousand lodgings were fur- 
nished. At the same time more than six thousand patients were 
treated free in the medical dispensary, and employment was found 
for 2,632 people. There is a fine and growing Sunday-school, 
with an average attendance of 225. Fifteen missionaries, nurses, 
and workers are employed. Besides, they maintain a nursery 
for little ones, and a Working Girls' Home, a refuge for those 
seeking employment. 




MRS. F. E. PECK. 



for several years; namely, 
the founding of a mission in 
Lower Denver. From that 
time until this, for more 
than twelve hundred nights, 
during all sorts of times 
and weather, a gospel 
service has been held at 
the Haymarket Mission 
every night. Nearly five 
thousand souls have pro- 
fessed conversion at its altar. 
A large institutional work 
is carried on in connection 
with the religious services. 
Many lodgings and meals 
are given. A reading-room, 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



487 



Connected with the Mission, and under the immediate over- 
sight of Mrs. Peck, is the "Haven," an institution for girls. It 
has, at the present writing, thirty-eight inmates. The girls range 
in age from nine to fourteen years. They are usually parentless 
and homeless. They are given three hours of an English edu- 
cation per day, and are taught to wash, iron, cook, sweep, dust, 
sew, and other things relating to good housekeeping. When 
the course is finished, good homes are secured for them. The 
entire work of the Mission and "Haven" is carried on at an ex- 




INTBRIOR OF HAYMARKET MISSION. 



pense of from $8,000 to $10,000 per year, all of which comes from 
voluntary contributions. 

Brother Peck is a genial associate, a consecrated Christian 
man, and an efficient preacher. He is evangelical and aggressive 
in his spirit and methods, and is blessed in his ministry in seeing 
many souls saved. 

Charles H. Koyl, A. J. Drewry, Arthur C. Peck, and A. L. T. 
Ewart were ordained deacons by Bishop Wiley at this session. 

William Hicks, from. Canada, supplied Caribou in 1881, and 
Gunnison in 1882, where the church-building was improved and 
debt provided for; Gold Hill and Jimtown for three months; and 



488 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



then Laramie City, Wyoming, the balance of the year, in 1883-4. 
He is now preaching for the Presbyterians. 

1884. — The: morning of August 7th found the Conference as- 
sembled for the opening of its twenty-second Annual Session in 
the beautiful town of Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado, with 
Bishop Cyrus D. Foss, D. D., in the chair, who conducted the 
devotional exercises, assisted by John L. Dyer. The business 
was finished on the fourth day, when the adjournment took place. 
This was a very harmonious and pleasant session. 

Those who came in by transfer, and took work among us, 
were : 

Jacob R. Rader, from the St. Louis Conference; was born 
June 19, 1856, near New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. 
He was converted under his eldest brother's ministry at Sum- 
merfield, Ohio, March 15, 1875, an< ^ says, "The good Lord has 
kept me converted every day since." From his earliest years he 
felt that, if ever converted, he would have to preach, and aston- 
ished a little company of worldly associates with such an an- 
nouncement before his conversion. 

He preached his first sermon in Trenton, Ohio, from Genesis 
xxii, 14, "Jehovah-jireh." He was licensed to preach at Rich- 
mond, Ohio, May, 1876, and entered the St. Louis Conference 
in March, 1880; was transferred to Colorado, January 6, 1884. 
His appointments here have been: Silver Plume, Idaho Springs; 
Aspen, where he was united in marriage with Miss Emma Bour- 
quin, May 20, 1887; Arvada, in 1888; and Buena Vista, 1889-90; 
Sterling and Julesburg, 1891 ; Sterling, 1892; Julesburg, 1893-4; 
Fort Lupton, 1895; Golden, 1896. He is an enjoyable compan- 
ion, an interesting preacher of the Word, and a useful minister. 

Lynderman Wright, from the Minnesota Conference, with 
which he had united in 1870, supplied Wlieat Ridge and Argo the 
last part of the Conference year of 1880; also Ouray, 1881, and 
Montrose in 1882-3. He was appointed to- Windsor, 1884-5-6, 
where he built a neat brick church and parsonage. On account 
of his health, he became a supernumerary in 1887; two years 
later he was made effective, and sent to Golden City, where he 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



489 



remained three years; superannuated in 1892, and now resides 
at Mansfield, Mo. He did a good work wherever he went, and 
left behind him a clear record as a minister of Jesus Christ. 

Gilbert De LaMatyr was born in Pharsalia, Chenango 
County, N. Y., July 8, 1825 ; was readmitted on certificate of loca- 
tion from the^ Southeast Indiana Conference, and appointed to 
Lawrence Street, Denver. He was converted at eighteen, licensed 
to preach at twenty, and served as pastor in the Genesee, New 
York East, Nebraska, St. Louis, Southeast Indiana, and Colorado 
Conferences. He was at Lawrence Street and Evans Memorial, 
Denver, each three years. The new Grace Church was erected 
while he was pastor of that society. During the War of the Re- 
bellion he was a chaplain in the LTnion army for three years. 

At the close of a pastorate in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was 
elected to Congress on the "Greenback" ticket, and served one 
term. 

In 1890 he was transferred to the East Ohio Conference, and 
was stationed at Akron, Ohio, where he died, steadfast in the 
faith, April, 1892. As a preacher and lecturer he had few su- 
periors. He heartily despised all shams, and denounced sin in no 
unmeasured terms. He was a man of remarkable ability, a 
preacher of almost national reputation, and a Christian without 
guile. 

Of the nine admitted on trial, only one took work in Colorado. 
The others were connected with the missions in adjacent Terri- 
tories, and have given their work there. The one associated with 
us was : 

Edward J. Wilcox was born January 17, 1857, in Ontario, 
Canada, and converted when eleven years old. His early life was 
devoted to business. He reached Colorado in 1880, and spent 
the first four years mining in the summer, and studying at the 
School of Mines in the winter. He was given a license to preach 
in the spring of 1884, and in August following entered the Con- 
ference on trial. His appointments have been: Telluride, one 
year; Mesa, South Pueblo, three years, where he began without 
a church-building, member, or a Sunday-school. At the end of 
this pastorate the Broadway Church had been erected, a flourish- 



49Q 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



ing Sunday-school established, a self-sustaining membership of 
nearly two hundred, and a large congregation gathered; then at 
Longmont, 1888-9. ^ n x &9° he took a supernumerary relation; 
re-entered the work in 1893, and was appointed to Fifth Avenue, 
Denver, to which he was returned in 1894-5. In 1896 he again 
took a supernumerary relation. He is a very strong Prohibition- 



built under the pastorate of F. C. Millington, and completed dur- 
ing the short term of the writer, who labored with his own hands 
for nearly a month thereon, in 1872. This property, with the 
parsonage, built by L. J. Hall, was sold, under the pastorate of 
J. T. Musgrove, in 1882, old debts paid off, and a small parsonage 
bought, with lots for a new church, which was built during the 
pastorate of J. F. White. In 1888-9, while E. J. Wilcox was pas- 
tor, that parsonage was sold, and a new one built beside the 
church, which is shown in cut on opposite page. Judge Terry, 
E. J. Coffman, and perhaps others, have been staunch supporters 
of the society since 1871, and O. A. McFarland, since 1874. 

The colony located there in the spring of 1871. The pastors 
since have been: R. J. Van Valkenberg, F. C. Millington; I. H. 
Beardsley, for six weeks; then C. E. Cline, 1872; C. G. Milnes, 




ist, and takes every suitable 
opportunity to advocate those 
principles. His work as pas- 
tor has been characterized by 
faithfulness, earnestness, and 



success. 



EDWARD J. WILCOX. 



The Longmont society 
has the following history. 
The first quarterly-meeting in 
the town of Longmont was 
held June 21, 1871, by B. T. 
Vincent, presiding elder, who, 
at that time, organized the 
society, receiving a number of 
members, and appointed 
Judge Terry class-leader. 
The first church was largely' 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



491 



1873-4; J. F. Coffman, 1875-6; H. L. Beardsley, 1877; L. J. Hall, 
1878-9; J. T. Musgrove, 1880-1; J. F. White, 1882-3; A. C. Peck, 
1884-5; C. A. Brooks and J. R. Madison, 1886; J. A. Long, 1887; 
E. J. Wilcox, 1888-9; H. B. Cook, 1890; C. H. Koyl, 1891-5; 
D. B. Vosseller, 1896. 

From Presiding Elder Millington's report I make the follow- 
ing selections: "A church is projected at Wheat Ridge. S. W. 
Thornton went to Central City for two months, after N. A. 
Chamberlain was appointed presiding elder. A. W. Coffman has 
had a good revival at Evans and Windsor. A new church has 




LONGMONT CHURCH AND PARSONAGE. 



been bought, paid for, and dedicated at Evans. Gold Hill was 
served by R. H. Rhodes for three months ; William Hicks for the 
next three; and then it was vacant for three months, when E. J. 
Wilcox closed out the year. The Georgetown church has been 
moved to a more central location, on account of the proximity 
of the railroad, and fitted up. A new church has been built in 
Longmont. J. R. Rader has begun in Loveland. A church has 
been dedicated in Rawlins, Wyoming." 

I select a few items from Presiding Elder Chamberlain's re 
port: "The church at Bear Canon is sold. A church has been 



492 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



started at Monte Vista. A brick parsonage has been built at 
Florence, and another at Gunnison. Dr. O. Ellerson has a small 
church ready for dedication at Morrison. At Pueblo a new 
church is under way, to cost about $12,000. R. H. McDade has 
organized at Salida, and erected a building at a cost of $800. 
E. T. Curnick has supplied Evans's Memorial, Denver; and L. C. 
Aley, Ouray." 

Christian C. Zebold and Florida F. Passmore were ordained 
as deacons, and James F. Harris as an elder. 

Lewis C. Aley, who started the Church in Delta, had spent 
three years in the State of Idaho teaching and preaching, where 
he was instrumental in having souls converted and three churches 
established. In 1865 he located in Delta, where he organized a 
Church with seven members, and a Sunday-school with six chil- 
dren, Mrs. Stevens and himself being the teachers. They held 
the services in a tent, or in a vacant building, as one could be had, 
changing about from Sabbath to Sabbath. From here he was 
sent to Ouray, where he had a long siege of sickness, which re- 
sulted in his death, June 8, 1893, at the age of forty years. His 
memory is precious. A wife and two daughters mourned his loss. 
His widow has since joined him on the other side. 

The pastors at Delta have been: L. C. Aley, W. Osburn, 
J. Shawber, G. E. Tuttle, W. A. McElphatrick, 1889-90. During 
the first of the last year named he circulated a paper for sub- 
scriptions with which to build a church. Feeling the need of a 
better equipment for the work of the ministry, he left his charge 
to attend school, and W. J. Judd filled out the year, laying a stone 
foundation for the new church. Edgar White, the next pastor, 
completed the structure in 1891, which was dedicated January 3, 
1892, by R. M. Barns, D. D. The building cost $4,500. Since 
then, the pastors have been: J. H. Gill, 1893-4; W. R. Weaver, 
1895; J. R. Wood, 1896. 

In this Conference group (on the opposite page), taken at 
Pueblo, in 1885, there are twelve likenesses which do not appear 
elsewhere in this volume. On the left in front sits Dr. G. De 
LaMatyr. The third person back of him is Dr. A. H. Lucas, 
and at his left is T. A. Story. The sixth from A. H. Lucas is 



494 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



H. M. Law, and to his left stands J. T. Musgrove. The last in 
that row is John Whisler. Returning to the rear and left, we 
see, first, G. N. Eldridge; second, L. Wright; third, F. S. Beggs; 
fourth, J. R. Rader; seventh, E. F. Miller, the singing evangelist; 
eighth, A. L. T. Ewart; ninth, John Harrington; the second 
beyond him, against the wall, is S. A. Winsor. 

1885. — The Conference convened in the Main Street Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, at Pueblo, Colorado, Thursday, July 
16th, at nine o'clock A. M., Bishop E. G. Andrews, D. D., presid- 
ing. The opening exercises were conducted by the bishop. 
H. L. Beardsley was elected secretary. 

J. H. Merritt, presiding elder, reported for the Northern Dis- 
trict, he having been appointed in the place of F. C. Millington, 
who had accepted the position of financial agent of the University 
of Denver. 

Brother Merritt said: "S. W. Thornton has been ordered to 
New Mexico, and F. S. Beggs to fill his place at Central City. 
A. W. Coffman met with an accident at Arvada, and left; A. D. 
Hammitt filled out the year. J. A. Smith left Black Hawk for 
Aspen. C. C. Zebold, of Fort Collins Circuit, was sent to a new 
field, at Lander, Wyoming; and H. D. Seckner was employed 
to fill his place. H. S. Huber, of the Illinois Conference, was 
secured for Laramie City, Wyoming; T. A. Story, for Gold Hill 
Circuit; and R. L. Kenyon, for Loveland. A new church has 
been built at Bald Mountain, costing- $5,000, and another at 
Wheat Ridge, at a cost of $2,000." 

There is no report from N. A. Chamberlain, the other pre- 
siding elder, on file. The net gain in the Conference member- 
ship, over the previous year, was thirteen. 

Those transferred to the Conference were: 

Joseph A. Ferguson was born, February 20, 1838, in Somer- 
set, Perry County, Ohio; converted in 1856; licensed to preach 
in 1858; educated in the public schools, and at the Dennison 
University, at Granville, Ohio; entered the Central Ohio Confer- 
ence in 1865; was ordained a local deacon at the same time, and 
elder four years after. He served the following charges in that 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



495 



Conference: Paulding Mission, with eleven appointments, one 
year; Port Jefferson Circuit, three years; Spring Hill Circuit, 
two years; Quincy Circuit, three years; Fostoria, two years; 
Kenton, three years; Greenville, three years; Delta, six months; 
transferred to Girard, South Kansas Conference, in 1883, where 
he remained two years; at Paola, for a short time, and then was 
transferred to the Colorado Conference in 1885 ; was stationed at 
Boulder, four years, where he cleared up an old church debt; 
Idaho Springs, three years. Here he removed a Church Exten- 
sion debt, and purchased a neat parsonage; had revivals on his 
circuit work and in some of the 
stations. At Quincy, Ohio, a 
cyclone blew the church into 
kindling-wood, which was re- 
placed by a brick, costing $6,500, 
all paid for. He was transferred 
to Oklahoma, in September, 1895. 
Brother Ferguson stands well as 
a preacher and pastor. His pas- 
torates were all more or less suc- 
cessful. 

Ammi Bradford Hyde, from 
the Erie Conference, was born 
at Oxford, New York, March 13, 
1826. He was fitted for college 
at the Oxford Academy, and at 
the age of twenty graduated from 
the Wesleyan College of Connecticut, with the degree of A. B. 
Two years after, the degree of A. M. was received from the same 
institution. The degree of D. D. was conferred by the Syracuse 
University in 1858. 

He joined the Oneida Conference in 1848, and entered upon 
the work of a traveling minister. In 1850 he was married to Miss 
Myra Smith, of Utica, New York. For sixteen years he was pro- 
fessor of Modern and Ancient Languages at Cazenovia Seminary, 
and for twenty years professor of Greek at Allegheny College, Pa. 
In 1884 he accepted the chair of Greek and Latin in the Uni- 
32 




496 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



versity of Denver, and for one year was the acting chancellor of 
the same. For twenty-five years he has written the notes on the 
Sunday-school lessons for the Pittsburg Christian Advocate, which 
are now in greater demand than ever. His "Story of Methodism" 
has had a circulation of over one hundred thousand copies. He 
also wrote the notes on the "Songs of Solomon and Ecclesiastes," 
and of the last three books of the Old Testament, for Whedon's 
Commentaries. His last work is called "Art Glimpses of Meth- 
odism." In 1894, when a Methodist Church was organized at 
University Park, Dr. Hyde was chosen its first pastor, and was 
reappointed in 1895. He is an honor to any institution and to 
any Conference. 

John Whisker, born December 27, 1835, in Richland 
County, Ohio; was converted at sixteen, and immediately felt 
called to preach the gospel. He and Miss Rebecca Simon were 
married, July 10, 1856, in Wood County, Ohio. He was given a 
license to exhort in 1861, and another to preach a year afterward. 

August 28, 1862, he enlisted in the 49th Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry of the Union army, and was immediately sent to the 
front; but did not reach his regiment, which was at Murfreesboro, 
Tenn., until after the battle of Stone River. Their first engage- 
ment was near Resaca. For thirty days thereafter they were 
under fire all the time as they moved southward. He was 
wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, May 29, 1864, losing his right 
arm. For eighteen days he lay in a field hospital, then was re- 
moved to Chattanooga, and thence to Nashville, where he was 
kept in the hospital for nearly six months, when he was mustered 
out and sent home. 

In April, 1865, he began his itinerant career, under the pre- 
siding elder on the Freeport Circuit, where he labored for one 
year and a half, when he was admitted on trial in the Central 
Ohio Conference. On further consideration he was released, that 
he might attend school. Of him Bishop Clark remarked, "That 
it was a laudable desire for a young man to get a better educa- 
tion." He at once entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, and 
"supplied" charges during the five years of his college life. 

He was admitted into the North Ohio Annual Conference 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



497 



in 1870, and sent to Iberia Circuit, 1 870-1; Ontario, 1872-3; 
Wooster, 1874-5-6; Tiffin, 1877-8. In the fall of 1878 he was 
transferred to Minnesota, where he labored for five years, when 
he came to California Street, Denver, which charge he served 
for one year and a half. He was at Leadville, 1886-7-8. During 
his first year here a new church was finished, and dedicated by 
Bishop Warren. He also raised the money, bought and almost 
paid for a parsonage by the side of the church. In February, 
1889, he was appointed financial agent of the University of Den- 
ver, which position he held for sixteen months. He was a super- 
numerary for the next two } r ears; then was transferred to the 
Columbia River Conference, where he did good work for four 
years. Failing health compelled him to resign his charge in the 
middle of the year, 1896, and was transferred back to the Colo- 
rado Conference, and given a supernumerary relation. He has 
a fine reputation as a preacher, and has made a good record in 
the pastorate, and is now at his pleasant home in Denver. 

Jacob Kagky, from the Illinois Conference. His pastorates 
were: Fairplay, 1884 (supply); Buena Vista, 1885-6; Windsor, 
1887, which he resigned soon after the Conference session; Buena 
Vista Circuit, 1888; located in 1889. 

H. C. Coats, from the Illinois Conference. His work was in 
the New Mexico English Mission, 1885; Telluride, 1886; Vilas 
Circuit, 1887; withdrew in 1888. 

R. L. Choate:, from the Illinois Conference; Salida, 1885; 
located in 1886. 

Wilbur C. Madison, a probationer, from the Upper Iowa 
Conference; born January 9, 1858, at Edgewood, Iowa; was 
converted when nine years of age, and joined the Church six 
months after; licensed to preach in 1878; graduated from the 
Upper Iowa University, at Fayette, Iowa, in 1883, with the de- 
gree of A. B. The same institution conferred on him the degree 
of A. M. in 1885, and that of D. D. in 1894, and the University of 
Denver that of Ph. D., after examination. 

August 21, 1883, he was married to Miss Carrie Adeline 
Holmes, of Manchester, Iowa. He joined the Upper Iowa Con- 
ference the following September, and was ordained a local deacon 



498 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



at the same time, by Bishop Simpson. Two years after, he came 
to Colorado, and was appointed to Grand Junction; then Fort 
Collins, 1886; First Church, Pueblo, 1887-8. During; this pas- 
torate Bishop Warren built and gave to that Church a beautiful 
parsonage; Greeley, 1890-1-2; Greeley District, 1893-6. Dr. 
Madison is a thorough scholar, a strong preacher, and conscien- 
tiously faithful in meeting all his official obligations. He is a 
forcible writer, and his pen is frequently called into use for 



year old, but seems well organized and composed of earnest 
people. The congregation which greets the preacher there is as 
good as one needs to meet. Monday morning Brother Boylan 
and myself started with a two-horse wagon and a rifle, to cross 
the Rabbit Ear range into North Park. We crossed the summit 
of the great Continental Divide, and about sunset were hailed by 
a man at the front end of a log cabin, who proved to have come 
thus far with two others for the purpose of meeting us, and guid- 
ing us for the rest of our journey. We stopped, partook of a good 
out-door supper, and that night slept on the ground in that much 



the periodical press of the 
country. 




He gives the following 
account of a "Pioneer Expe- 
rience," in the northwestern 
portion of his district in 1895, 
which is a faithful illustra- 
tion of what is done by all 
our pioneer workmen: 



w. c. MADISON. 



"At Steamboat Springs 
we spent the first Sabbath, 
July 22d, preaching twice 
there, and once in the after- 
noon at a private house 
seven miles distant. The 
first Quarterly Conference 
in Routt County was held 
the following Saturday. The 
Church at Steamboat 
Springs is but a little over a 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



499 



ventilated cabin. The next day found us at the home of a Mr. 
Shearer at Rand. That night I preached in a little church, re- 
ceived into our Church a company of fifteen, held the first Quar- 
terly Conference ever held in North Park, and the next day rode 
twenty-five miles to Walden. The word sent had failed to get 
there; but though we arrived at five in the afternoon, a goodly 
congregation was "rustled" by 7.30, and I preached again. The 
people there, as at Rand, urged me to find them a preacher, say- 
ing they could support him if sent. 

"The next day we started back to Steamboat. We were be- 
lated, and slept that night under a wagon, on the crest of the 
continent. On Friday w T e arrived home, and the next day went 
to Hayden, twenty-five miles down the Yuma from Steamboat, 
where, in the midst of a thriving agricultural community of fine 
citizens, we found good reception, and Sunday morning had a 
large congregation. We returned to Steamboat that afternoon, 
and had service there at night. I am told that no presiding elder 
was ever in that country before, officially. Dr. Crary was there 
years ago, and preached to about six or seven people." (Meth- 
odist Helper, August, 1895.) 

In 1896 he dedicated a church at Rand in North Park. 

Henry A. Buchtel, D. D., from the Northwest Indiana Con- 
ference. Born September 30, 1847, near Akron, Ohio, where 
Buchtel College, an institution founded and endowed by John 
R. Buchtel, a cousin of his father, Dr. J. B. Buchtel, now stands. 
In 1848 the family moved to South Bend, Indiana, where he grew 
up to manhood's estate. Here he was converted, February, 1866, 
in a revival-meeting held by the pastor, Charles A. Brooke, D. D., 
who subsequently gave him a Bible because he was the most lib- 
eral Sunday-school scholar in contributing to the missionary 
cause. That Bible he deposited in the corner-stone of Trinity 
Church, Denver, as his most precious gift. 

He was educated at Asbury (now DePauw) University, Green- 
castle, Indiana, graduating in the class of 1872. For three years 
previous he had been a local preacher. The following September 
he was admitted on trial in the Northwest Indiana Conference, 
and appointed to Zionsville and Northfield Circuit. 




5°° 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



In January, 1873, he was sent as a missionary to Bulgaria, 
taking his bride with him. Soon after reaching Bulgaria she was 
taken down with typhoid-malarial fever, with a serious compli- 
cation of the lungs. This severe illness broke her health entirely, 
and they were compelled to return home in the fall of the same 
year. His Bulgarian teacher, Jordan Ivan Ekonomoff, who was 
converted in his house, came with them to this country. He 
was a B. A. graduate from Roberts College, of Constantinople. 
He remained at Drew Seminary four years, and then returned 
to take his place in the Bulgarian Mission. 

In the fall of 1873 Dr. Buchtel was appointed to the South 

Greencastle Charge, which 
at that time had no prop- 
erty of its own. Services 
were held in the college 
chapel. God gave him 
three hundred converts in 
ten weeks of protracted 
meetings. In the middle of 
his third year he was trans- 
f e r r e d to Knightstown, 
North Indiana Conference. 
After three years here he 
spent three more at Grace 
Church, Richmond, Indi- 
ana. His next charge was 
Trinity Church, Lafayette, 
where he remained until 
July, 1885, when he was transferred to Evans Chapel, Denver, 
Colorado. One year after he began his ministry at Lawrence 
Street Church. At the end of the first year the name of the 
Church was changed to "Trinity." In September, 1887, the con- 
gregation moved into "Tabor Grand Opera-house," where serv- 
ices were held for seven months. On Easter Sabbath, 1888, the 
first Sunday in April, the first service was held in the Sunday- 
school room of Trinity Church. At Christmas-time, the same 
year, they moved into the Auditorium. He was pastor of Trinity 
for nearly five years. Joseph C. Shattuck, Ph. D., secretary of 




H. A. BUCHTEL. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



50I 



the Board of Trustees, published in Zion's Herald, of Boston, 
August 9, 1893, over two years after his pastorate closed, the fol- 
lowing estimate of his work at Trinity: 

"No description of this church, or history of its erection, 
would be complete or just that did not ascribe to Dr. Henry A. 
Buchtel, pastor from 1886 to 1891, the honor for great leadership 
in the enterprise. He came to a building seating about five hun- 
dred, but more than ample for the congregation. In two months 
he had packed it to the doors, and in one year had lifted the soci- 
ety from the fourth in rank in the city to the first, and obliged it 
to move into the opera-house, seating twelve hundred. He 
welded this people into one aggressive unit, fired by his own high 
purpose to build a temple worthy the leading Church in Colorado 
Methodism, yet never forgetting the regular benevolences, which, 
in the year of heaviest giving to the new enterprise, reached a 
larger total than ever before reported by a Church in this Con- 
ference. It is not too much to say that, but for him, there would 
be no Trinity Church in Denver to-day." 

In 1891 he was transferred to Indianapolis, Indiana, where 
he is preaching the gospel with all the vigor of his mature man- 
hood. The success attending his work, with the character of the 
appointments filled, best describes his ability as pastor and 
preacher. He is greatly beloved by his former associates here. 

Abner H. Lucas, from the Detroit Conference, who filled 
pastorates at Greeley, four years, and Grace Church, Denver, 
two years, when he was transferred East, and stationed in Spring- 
field, Ohio. 

While pastor in Greeley, he and Rev. G. S. Oliver, who was 
the pastor at Evans, started a small local Church paper. Subse- 
quently Brother Lucas and Rev. A. C. Peck, then of Colorado 
Springs, interested a number of prominent laymen in a local 
Church paper for the Rocky Mountain region. 

Previously a paper had been started, with the thought of 
meeting this need, by Frank Hard, Esq., of Denver. This was 
bought and published for some time by George S. Welch, Esq., 
of whom it was purchased by Lucas and Peck for the new com- 
pany. The two papers were then consolidated, and became the 



502 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Rocky Mountain Christian Advocate, which for several years vis- 
ited the homes of our people within the bounds of the Colorado 
Conference. Dr. Lucas was assisted in the editorship by the Rev. 
A. C. Peck, and together they made an excellent paper. The 
General Conference of 1892 appointed a committee to publish 
it as a semi-official paper, and the Rev. Claudius B. Spencer was 
elected editor. The paper, however, having insufficient financial 
basis, was soon discontinued, as it could not be published without 
pecuniary loss. While issued it filled a very useful place as a local 
organ, interesting the people in each other, and visiting hundreds 
of homes where no other Advocate ever came. To us it seemed to 
have been a great misfortune that it was discontinued. 

The General Conference of 1896, however, authorized its pub- 
lication, under proper official supervision, aided by a generous 
subsidy from the Book Concern. 

The commission to whom this work was confided chose the 
Rev. C. B. Spencer as editor, and placed the business manage- 
ment of the new venture in the hands of Dr. D. L. Rader. 

These brethren are energetically pushing the enterprise, and 
are succeeding beyond the most sanguine expectations in plac- 
ing it upon a paying basis. They are also making a very inter- 
esting, valuable paper for this mountain region. 

Daniel E. Rader was received from the Denver Conference 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He was born at Rose 
Hill, Johnson County, Missouri, August 27, 1850, and was named 
for his father's presiding elder, Daniel Leaper. He was con- 
verted in 1864, at a protracted-meeting held in Saline County, 
Missouri, by a Presbyterian minister, assisted by his father, who 
was a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. As 
there was no Methodist Church in that locality, he, by the advice 
of his father, joined the Presbyterian Church. Two years later, 
he took his letter and connected himself with the Church of his 
parents, with which he remained for nineteen years. 

He studied for two years under the tutorship of Rev. Dr. 
Sidney Paxton, a Presbyterian minister; then two years more 
in the Shelbyville High School, after which he taught for a time. 
In September, 1871, he joined the SouthwesJ: Missouri Confer- 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



503 



ence, and was at once transferred to the Western Conference, and 
placed in charge of the Oskaloosa Circuit, Kansas. In the middle 
of the year he was changed to the Broadway Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South, Leavenworth, Kansas, where he remained until 
September, 1873, when he was sent to Council Grove. On Sep- 
tember 18, 1872, he was married to Miss Eugenia Shackelford, 
whom he had known in his school-days. In 1874 he returned 
to Missouri, where he remained until March, 1879, when, on ac- 
count of pulmonary trouble, 
he came to Colorado. His 
lungs at that time were in 
such a condition that he 
could not pray in his family 
without hemorrhages. 

His Conference gave him 
a superannuated relation, 
and, after resting in this cli- 
mate for two years and a 
half, he was so far recovered 
that he was transferred to the 
"Denver Conference" of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, October, 1881, and 
appointed presiding elder of 
the Denver District, which 
position he held for three 
years, when he asked to be 
relieved, that he might enter 
the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This his Con- 
ference was unwilling to grant, but appointed him to Corona 
Chapel, Pueblo. At the close of that year, July, 1885, he took a 
certificate of location, and was admitted into the membership of 
the Colorado Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He was appointed to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he remained 
for three years. When the Wyoming Mission was organized in 
1888, he was made its first superintendent, and held this position 
for four years. At the session of 1892, in Pueblo, he was ap- 
pointed presiding elder of the newly-formed "Pueblo District," 




D. Iv. RADKR. 



504 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



where he is doing good work for the Master and the Church. 
The Conference in 1895 elected him one of its delegates to the 
General Conference, to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, May, 1896. 
He is evangelistic and interesting as a preacher, and a successful 
organizer. His ministry is attended with blessed spiritual results. 
Brother Rader is a man thoroughly consecrated to God and to 
his work. 

Those admitted on trial were: 

H. L. Wriston. Arvada and Hugo, 1885-7; Laramie City, 
Wyoming, 1888-9. Left without an appointment in 1890-2, "to 
attend some one of our schools," which was at the School of The- 
ology in the Boston University. In 1893 he was transferred to 
the New England Conference. He is a fluent speaker, a good 
sermonizer, and an exceedingly popular minister of the gospel. 
He is a very promising young man. He graduated from the Uni- 
versity of Denver in 1889, A. B. 

Joshua Shawber. Telluride Circuit, 1885; Delta, 1886-7; 
Monte Vista, 1888; Evans, 1889-91; supernumerary, 1892-6. He 
rendered good service while in the active work, and has left a 
clean record on the charges served. 

Thomas M. Harwood, a nephew of Superintendent Har- 
wood, was appointed missionary in the Spanish work of New 
Mexico. He is still connected with this Mission, and is a man 
of great usefulness to the Spanish people. 

William C. Price. Was sent to Como and Breckenridge; 
discontinued in 1886. 

Theron A. Story was born in St. Lawrence County, New 
York, in 1859; converted, and joined the Methodist Episcopal 
Church at the age of twelve, through the influence of a godly 
mother; called to the ministry at the age of sixteen, and entered 
upon his first charge at Jamestown, Colorado, at the age of 
twenty-five, under Presiding Elder Millington, his uncle; re- 
turned the second year; then at Silver Plume and Black Hawk, 
each one year; Granada in 1888; made a supernumerary in 1889, 
and transferred to the Northern New York Conference in 1891. 
He did good work while here, and left a good name behind him. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



505 



Herschex D. Seckner was born in Turin, Lewis County, 
New York, September 6, 1852; converted in April, 1864; was 
educated in the common schools, and in Lowville Academy; also 
for a time at the Cazenovia Seminary. He came to Colorado in 
1879, an d engaged in business at Fort Collins. He was licensed 
to preach in 1884, and sent to the Fort Collins Circuit, where he 
labored for a year and six months. 
He has since filled Simpson, Den- 
ver, 1886-7-8-9. During his 
pastorate here the first church 
was sold, and the present one 
erected on the corner of Thirty- 
seventh Avenue and Lafayette 
Street; then at Silver Plume, 1890, 
where he secured a lot for a new 
church; Berkeley, 1891. The 
church-building here was inclosed, 
except as to the doors and win- 
dows. This was finished, and a 
neat parsonage of six rooms built. 
At Fort Morgan, 1895-6. He was 
admitted to the Conference in 
1885; ordained deacon in 1887, 
elder in 1889. He is an earnest preacher, a faithful pastor, and 
efficient minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

John W. Linn was born, August 13, 1855, at Loysville, 
Perry County, Pennsylvania; converted in October, 1878, in West 
Side, Iowa; educated at the high school in Lanark, Illinois, and 
at Garrett Biblical Institute, from which he graduated in 1884, 
and immediately came to Colorado, taking charge of the Beck- 
wourth Street Church and Simpson Mission, where he remained 
three years. The last named Mission was taken of! his charge at 
the end of the second year, and the former (now "Fifth Avenue") 
constituted the charge. On September 7, 1886, he was married, 
in Beckwourth Street Church, to Miss Kate A. Dobbins, of Den- 
ver. His next appointment was Rawlins, Wyoming, which he 




506 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



served efficiently eighteen months, when he was changed to Lead- 
ville, Colorado, where he remained the same length of time. In 
1890 he was appointed to Argo and Wheat Ridge (the former was 
taken off after two years), and here, at Wheat Ridge, he remained 
five years. He organized during his term here, On Prospect Ave- 
nue, a class of thirty members, with a Sunday-school of forty- 

five members; also a Sunday-school with 

I thirty members at Lakewood. Having 
staid his full time, he was sent to Central 
City in 1895, and reappointed in 1896. 
He came to the session at Leadville, in 
1896, in apparently good health, was 
taken severely ill during the night suc- 
ceeding the first day's session. An oper- 
ation was soon decided as necessary, 
which was successfully performed. To 
all human appearance an early recovery 
was probable. When the session closed 
he was returned to Central City, and his 
associates left, expecting to hear soon 
that he was in his field of labor. He him- 
self was peacefully trusting in the Lord Jesus, leaving all in his 
hands. On the day after the Conference adjourned his disease 
took an unfavorable turn, and soon "he was not, for God had 
taken him." 

Brother Linn was an untiring pastor and successful minister 
of Jesus Christ. He has left a rich legacy to his family in an un- 
impeachable Christian character. 

John A. Long was ordained a deacon, and C. H. Koyl, J. T. 
Musgrove, J. R. Rader, R. H. McDade, R. L. Choate, as elders. 

The supplies were, F. S. Beggs, S. H. Huber, R. L. Kenyon, 
P. McNutt, F. F. Passmore, and T. Winsor. 

1886. — From July 15th to 20th the Conference was in session, 
for the second time, at Greeley, Colorado, Bishop Thomas Bow- 
man presiding. Forty members answered to their names when 
the roll was called. 




THE THIRD DECADE. 



507 



N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder of the Southern District, 
reported, in substance, as follows: "Dr. McNutt, in charge at 
Del Norte and Henry, died February 9, 1886. A. Crooks, of the 
Des Moines Conference, succeeded him. R. L. Choate left for 
New Mexico, and C .B. Allen followed him at Salida. I. N. More- 
head resigned at Pueblo in the early winter, and went East, when 
A. B. Bruner took his place. A church-building is begun at 
Aspen by J. A. Smith, the pastor. At Monte Vista, a brick 
church, which will seat three hundred, and costing $3,000, has 
been erected. McNutt raised nearly $1,200 the week before he 
died. New church and parsonage started at Leadville. Brother 
William Osburn is pushing a church enterprise at Montrose. 
J. C. Kemp has been preaching at Glenwood Springs." 

From the report of J. H. Merritt, presiding elder, I select 
what follows: "J. C. Green did not go to Evans and Big Thomp- 
son; George S. Oliver was secured for this charge. A frame 
church completed at Argo, valued at $4,200, including the lots. 
At Windsor, after the same plan, a brick church has been built, 
costing $3,500. A parsonage purchased at Central City, and one 
built at North Denver. The church and parsonage properties 
greatly improved at Cheyenne, Evanston, Greeley, and Idaho 
Springs." 

The transfers assigned to work among us were: 

A. B. Bruner, from the Puget Sound Conference. Returned 
to First Church, Pueblo; superannuated in 1887, on account of 
a sick wife, who died soon after; was at Las Animas three months 
of 1888, and at Aspen the next three years. In 1891 he was 
transferred to the Southwest Kansas Conference. Brother Bruner 
is an attractive preacher and excellent pastor. He usually en- 
joys "times of refreshing" on his charges. 

OkEy J. Moore, from the West Virginia Conference, was 
born near Sistersville, Tyler County, West Virginia, April 13, 
i860. Graduated from the State Normal School, at Fairmont, 
W. Va., in 1878; was at the same school, teaching and reading 
law, from 1878 to 1880; converted at a revival-meeting held near 
his old home, on February 1, 1880. At this time it was foreign to 
his thought to become a minister, but the law soon lost its attrac- 



5 o8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



tions. He received a clearer witness of his acceptance, when try- 
ing to lead another to Jesus. He says: ''After a short struggle 
I surrendered myself fully to God, and soon received what many 
called 'the second blessing, love enthroned within.' 

"Soon after this, the Lord showed me that the Methodist 
Church was, after all, not such a mean institution. I attended 
the General Conference, at Cincinnati, Ohio, with my father, in 

1880, and for the first time saw 
Methodism on her mount of trans- 
figuration." 

He entered the itinerant ranks 
in the West Virginia Confer- 
ence that fall, and filled, while 
there, the following appointments: 
namely, Ceredo, 1880; Williams- 
town, 1881; Milton, 1882. He 
then went to the Drew Theological 
Seminary, from which he gradu- 
ated in 1886. His appointments 
since have been: Santa Fe, New 
Mexico, May, 1886, to July, 1889; 
El Paso, Texas, July, 1889, to Oc- 
tober, 1891 ; Golden, Colorado, 
1801-2: Greeley, 1893-6. Brother 

O. J. MOORE. y > j 1 yo 

Moore is scholarly, spiritual, and 
attractive as a minister of the gospel, and builds wisely and well 
in the temple of the living God. 

Twelve: were admitted on trial, but only two were assigned 
work within Conference bounds; namely: 

George S. Oliver, who had supplied Evans, was returned. 
His farther work was: Idaho Springs, 1887-8; Trinidad, 1889, 
where he remained but a short time, when he withdrew from the 
ministry and the Church, entering upon secular work. His head- 
quarters are now (1897) in Denver, Colorado, where his family 
resides. He had the elements of a successful minister, and should 
have remained therein. 

Joseph B. Long was born near Jefferson, Schoharie County, 




THE THIRD DECADE. 



5°9 



New York, May, 1863. He was left an orphan by the death of 
his father, in the Army of the Potomac, in the following Decem- 
ber, and his mother two years later. He can not remember when 
he was not a Christian. He joined the Church at sixteen; was 
educated at the Walton Union School, and later, in more ad- 
vanced studies, at the "Hudson River Institute," Claverack, New 
York; "Wesleyan University,"' Middletown, Connecticut; "Gar- 
rett Biblical Institute," Evanston, Illinois; and the "Iliff School 
of Theology," Denver, Colorado. He graduated from the last- 
named institution in June, 1893. During his period of school 
study in the West, he was preaching almost regularly as pastor. 
He has filled here the following appointments: Lander and Sheri- 
dan, Wyoming; Como, Ouray, Black Hawk, and Bald Mountain, 
in Colorado; then Alma, Evanston, and Rawlins, in Wyoming. 
He was sent to the latter place in 1895-6. He was married, 
June 4, 1890, to Miss Cora E. Sheldon, of Boulder, Colorado. 
Brother Long is highly esteemed for his many excellent personal 
qualities, and as well for his worth as a minister of the gospel. 
At this writing (1897) it is said he has withdrawn from the Meth- 
odist pastorate, and entered that of the Congregational Church. 

Edward J. Wilcox, George B. M. Rodgers, Theron A. Story, 
Oscar F. McKay, and Martin Anderson were ordained deacons. 

M. C. Wilcox, of the Foochow Conference, China, was a help- 
ful visitor, and was introduced on the second morning of the 
session. Brother E. F. Miller, singing evangelist, led the singing 
with delightful effect. 

1887. — For the fifth time Conference met in Denver, in the 
Lawrence Street Church, July 13th, and adjourned on the 18th. 
Bishop John M. Walden presided. This was his first visit to the 
Colorado Conference in this capacity. He conducted the devo- 
tional exercises. The sacramental service was under the direc- 
tion of Bishop H. W. Warren, assisted by the presiding elders 
and others. 

After the roll-call and the appointment of the committees, 
Bishop W r arren addressed the Conference in a very feeling and 
affectionate manner, preparatory to his visit to Japan and China. 
At its close, Bishop Walden suggested that all join in singing, 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



"God be with you till we meet again," when Dr. De LaMatyr, the 
pastor of the bishop's family, led in prayer. 

A pleasing incident of the morning service was this: When 
Father Dyer, then the only superannuate in the Conference, had 
reported for himself, Dr. Moore, chancellor of the University of 
Denver, in behalf of, and in the name of, the trustees of the uni- 
versity, presented him with a beautiful gold-headed cane. The 
Doctor in doing this made one of his happiest speeches, to which 
Father Dyer responded equally well. 

One year before, the Conference appropriated one hundred 
dollars to Brother Dyer out of the fund for superannuates, which 
he very generously donated to the university. In appreciation 
of this act, and of his many years of faithful service in this moun- 
tain region, the trustees made this as a token of their esteem. 

J. H. Merritt, presiding elder, reported, in part, as follows: 
"Loveland Church is finished, and cost $2,640. Caribou has 
erected a comfortable church. R. E. Buckeye supplied Evanston, 
Wyoming, until his health failed, when C. A. Brooks was taken 
from Longmont to supply his place. F. S. Beggs, who has sup- 
plied Central City for two years, was called to the Springfield 
District, Missouri Conference: T. L. Wiltsee, from the Central 
Ohio Conference, filled out the year. John Stocks died at Black 
Hawk, September 19, 1886; W. M. Bewley filled the year out 
there. R. E. Rippetoe, from Kansas, has been preaching at 
Akron, one hundred and twelve miles east of Denver, and organ- 
ized a class. J. M. Adair has been organizing a work south of 
Julesburg, near the Kansas line. G. E. Trowbridge took charge 
of Buckhorn Circuit." 

N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder, reported: "Lamar has 
developed quickly. They asked for a preacher; H. L. Beardsley 
was sent, who organized a society, and began the erection of a 
church, which is nearly ready for dedication, and will cost about 
$3,000. La Junta petitioned for a Methodist pastor; John R. 
Wood was sent; a class has been started, and plans laid for the 
erection of a house of worship. Brother Wood has also opened 
in Rocky Ford, organizing a class, and starting the matter of 
building a new church. Preaching has been established in Gra- 
nada, and plans for a church started; S. M. Hopkins pastor. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



J. M. Clark has organized a work at Glenwood Springs and be- 
low, toward Grand Junction, along the Grand River. F. F. Pass- 
more has started a society at Como, and established preaching 
at the Lower Mines and at Hartzell. The country in South- 
eastern Colorado is rapidly filling up. The railroads are pushing 
in with new lines. Soon four or five additional men will be 
needed to supply that region. Colorado City has put on new 
life, on account of the railroad shops established there. The old 
church has been sold, and lots secured for another. They ask 
for a pastor. Lawrence Street has changed its name to "Trinity," 
and begun the erection of a new building, which will seat 1,500 
people. The organ will cost $25,000, the gift of Isaac E. Blake. 
Evans Chapel has secured additional lots, so they can build a 
complete church-home. B. F. Todd has inspired the people of 
Castle Rock to build a neat frame church, the first in the town. 
Through the united efforts of Pastor Bruner, Bishop Warren, 
Dr. Cranston, and other brethren of the Conference, the church 
debt at Pueblo has all been paid. The old church at Florence 
has been sold, and they are erecting a new one. They are also 
arranging to build at Rockvale. The debt on the parsonage at 
Gunnison is paid. At Monte Vista the wing of the church is 
nearly completed, and will be dedicated free of debt. A new par- 
sonage has been built at Durango, and the church debt nearly 
removed. Montrose has builded with a debt, but the way is 
opened for them to carry the load. Leadville has built a neat 
church, seating nine hundred; it was begun by C. A. Brooks, and 
completed by John Whisler. The church at Buena Vista has 
been repapered and reseated. Beckwourth Street has discharged 
all indebtedness, and is in a good working condition. L. J. Hall 
was taken from Trinidad to the chaplaincy of the penitentiary, 
and the year was closed with Brother Pleisted as pastor." 
Those received by transfer were: 

Thaddkus L. Wii/TSEE, from the Central Ohio Conference; 
filled Central City three years, when he was appointed superin- 
tendent of the New Mexico English Missions. In 1891 he was 
appointed missionary among the Navajo Indians, and in 1892 
transferred back to his old Conference. As a Christian pastor 
33 



512 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and preacher of the Word of life he stood deservedly high. His 
record in Colorado was good, and his name is held in loving re- 
membrance. 

George W. Ray was born near Gallipolis, Gallia County, 
Ohio, December 17, 1855; born again January, 1876, and fought 
the call to the ministry because he thought he could never preach. 
He was first licensed to preach April 22, 1882, and joined the 
Ohio Conference in October of that year. After preaching two 
years, he went to the Drew Theological Seminary, supplying the 



numerary relation to the Conference. In 1894-5 was effective, 
and appointed secretary of the Haymarket Mission. In 1896 he 
took a certificate of location, and has been acting since as a pas- 
tor in the Congregational Church. He is a consecrated Christian 
man, an attractive preacher, and one that is successful in leading 
souls to Christ. 





G. W. RAY. 




last two years Livingston 
Charge in the Newark Con- 
ference. He arrived in Raton, 
New Mexico, April 15, 1887, 
where he remained two years. 
He was transferred to the 
Colorado Conference in July, 
1887. In 1889 he was ap- 
pointed to St. James, Denver. 
Here God blessed his labors 
in the salvation of souls, and 
the strengthening of his 
Church. The old building, 
which had stood for twenty 
years, was taken down, and a 
much larger one, costing 
$20,000, erected on the same 
site. In 1893 he took a super- 



D. W. Burt, from the Northwest Kansas Conference, was 
born at Cleveland, Ohio, June 6, 185 1 ; educated at Greenville, and 
Wittenberg College; converted February 26, 1882; licensed to 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



513 



exhort May 16, 1882, on the same day that he joined the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, and placed in charge of the Atwood 
Circuit, Northwest Kansas Conference. He was sent next to 
Oberlin Charge, two years; thence to Long Island, three years, 
when he was transferred to the Colorado Conference, July, 1887. 
He was given all of Eastern Colorado, from the Burlington & 
Missouri Railroad on the north, to the Missouri Pacific on the 
south for his charge. He organized classes in Logan and King- 
ston, August 14, 1887; Burlington and Carlile, August 21, 1887; 
Friend, September 4, 1887; Plain 
View, December 25, 1887. The 
first Sunday-school was started 
on this charge by him, August 
14, 1887. In 1890 he was sent 
to Rocky Ford Circuit, where he 
built a church valued at $5,000; 
was made a supernumerary in 
1893. He is a devoted Christian, 
and a very useful minister of 
the gospel. His record is com- 
mendable. 

Augustus L. Chase was 
born, July 25, i860, in Olean, 
New York; converted in January, 
1875; attended Epworth Semi- 
nary, and graduated from Cor- 
nell College, Iowa, with the degree of B. A., in 1885; received 
from the same institution the degree of A. M. three years later. 
He was licensed to preach June, 1885, and joined the Upper Iowa 
Conference in August following; was transferred to Colorado, 
July, 1887, and appointed to Grand Junction, where he built a 
parsonage; Salida, 1888-9 — had sixty accessions to the Church 
here; Black Hawk, 1890. At this place, the church, which had 
been injured by a flood, was repaired, and here the companion of 
his youth died; was a supernumerary in 1891. Returning to active 
work, was at Silver Plume, 1892, where he married Miss Olive 
Lawyer, October 18, 1893; Fort Lupton, 1893-4, where his labors 




5H 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



were crowned with a gracious work of grace; Wheat Ridge, 
1895-6. He is an interesting preacher, and constantly pursues 
the work given him to do for the Master. 

Joel M. Mark, from the Southwest Kansas Conference; was 
sent to Carbondale; located in 1879. 

Earl Cranston and David H. Moore were elected delegates 
to the General Conference, with J. H. Merritt and N.'A. Cham- 
berlain alternates. The Conference, appreciating highly the resi- 
dent bishop, instructed its representatives to use their best en- 
deavors to retain the episcopal residence in Denver. 

Herschel D. Seckner, Henry L. Wriston, Joshua Shawber, 
Augustus L. Chase, and William Harris were ordained as dea- 
cons, and Harvey M. Law, A. L. T. Ewart, Arthur C. Peck, John 
A. Long, Abner H. Lucas, and Christian C. Zebold, as elders. 

Those admitted on trial were: 

Oscar F. McKay, born, March 1, 1855, in Greene County, 
Ohio; joined the Church in November, 1872; an active member 
and superintendent of Sunday-school for ten years, yet uncon- 
verted during that time. L T nder the searchlight of holiness 
preaching he saw his condition, and was truly converted. Two 
days after, he was called to the ministry, and was soon licensed 
to preach. That fall he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, 
where he remained four years. In 1886 he came to Colorado, and 
supplied Erie, where he built a church, and organized a class 
at Pleasant View. Remained here three years, and had re- 
vivals; entered Conference in 1887; was sent to Bald Mountain 
in 1889; while here, built a church at Russell Gulch, and had 
revivals at both places. While on this charge he entered into the 
experience of entire sanctification, which proved a glorious up- 
lift to his soul and ministry; at Loveland, 1891, where he spent 
three years, fighting the devil and preaching a full salvation; 
had a blessed revival, and organized also classes at Berthoud and 
Union Valley; Sterling, 1894, where God blessed his labors; 
located in 1895, to engage in evangelistic work. Two months 
after, his health failing, he returned to Ohio, and settled on a 
farm, where he is working for the Master, as strength and oppor- 
tunity offers. He is a spiritual and very useful minister in the 
Church of Jesus Christ. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



515 



Kent White; born, August 16, i860, at Beverly, West Vir- 
ginia; converted January 28, 1875, and entered into the experi- 
ence of "perfect love" about a year later; spent some time in 
Idaho, at the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, as issue clerk; then a 
year in Montana. He reached Denver, Colorado, September 6, 
1883, immediately entering the University of Denver, where he 
remained five years, taking a special course of study. He united 
with the Conference, July, 1887, and was married to Miss Mollie 
Alma Bridwell, December 
21, 1887. His appointments 
have been: Fort Lupton, 
1887; Hugo and Kit Carson, 
1888; from here he did the 
first preaching at Cheyenne 
Wells, and organized there 
a class and Sunday-school; 
Lamar, 1889-90. Sixty- 
five were added to the 
Church here, a neat parson- 
age bought, and money 
raised to build an addition 
thereto. He also removed a 
$225 debt from the church- 
building; then at Morrison, 
two years, where he finished 
the church, begun by Will- 
iam Osburn, at a cost of 
$110, and secured another at 
Elk Creek, which was fin- 
ished and dedicated by him; Erie, 1893, where he had a gracious 
revival; ninety in all were added to the Church on probation, 
many entering into the experience of "perfect love." The oppo- 
sition to holiness was very strong here; but with the help of Mrs. 
Hattie Livingston and others, he pressed the battle to the gates 
and won; Broomfield, 1894; located in 1895, to become an evan- 
gelist. God has laid on him and the heart of his wife the pro- 
motion of holiness as their special theme. To this end they, with 
others, held a "Holiness Camp-meeting" in Herring's Grove, on 




KENT white. 



5i6 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Pleasant View Ridge, July, 1894, with blessed results; then at 
Fort Collins, in September, 1895-6. God honored these gather- 
ings with 'wonderful benedictions. The influence for good of these 
meetings will go on down the ages. Give God the glory! They 
are now conducting ''mission" work in the city of Denver on the 
full salvation line. 

John R. Wood, born February 10, 1856, at Tompkinsville, 
Slaten Island, New York. He entered Rutgers College, New 
Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1870; came to Colorado in 1872, and 

was engaged in mining until 
1886; he received the baptism 
of the Holy Ghost in the "Peo- 
ple's Tabernacle," Denver, Oc- 
tober, 1886; aided the writer in 
protracted-meetings in January 
and February, 1887, and went 
as pastor to La Junta in March 
of that year, building a neat 
church there during his pastor- 
ate of three years and a half. 
Many souls were added to the 
Church. While working here 
he also organized the society at 
Rocky Ford. Plis next appoint- 
ment was Leadville, 1890, where 
he had an almost continuous re- 
vival. While here, Mr. Kirby, 
agent of the Midland Railroad 
at Aspen Junction, invited him to come down there and preach 
for them, which he did in May, 1891. After the sermon he gave 
an opportunity for anv to testify, when seventeen persons spoke 
for Jesus. This was the first service of the kind in that locality, 
and led to the formation of the Aspen Junction (now Basalt) Cir- 
cuit. In 1891 he was placed in charge of the "City Missions," 
Denver, where he labored earnestly to help the needy and to save 
souls, starting new missions at Edgewater and what is now known 
as the Briggs Mission, besides reinvigorating several others. 




THE THIRD DECADE. 



517 



In 1892 was sent to Lusk, Wyoming, and to New Castle and 
Cambria, same State, in 1893-4. At the former place he built a 
church, and had souls converted at both places. Returned to 
Colorado, and was sent to Breckenridge in 1895. Success crowns 
his labors, and a Christly influence attends him wherever he goes. 
He is "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." In 1896 
he was placed at Delta. 



Charles B. Allen was born of Quaker parents, in Rich- 
mond, Indiana, September 29, 1857, where he lived continuously 
until April, 1882, when ill- 
health compelled him to seek 
the help of Colorado's genial 
climate. After six months in 
the Rockies, he considered 
himself well enough to return 
East, which he did, contrary 
to the advice of medical ex- 
perts in Denver. Two months 
after reaching home he was 
stricken with a severe illness, 
and was advised by his phy- 
sican to seek help in the 
Southland. He left for Ashe- 
ville, North Carolina, Febru- 
ary, 1883, remaining there un- 
til November, 1885. He was 
converted at eighteen years of 
age, under the ministry of Rev. Henry A. Buchtel, in Grace 
Church, Richmond, Indiana. From the age of twenty he realized 
that he was called of God to the ministry, which he fought against 
persistently for several years. 

This battle against the call of the Holy Spirit to preach re- 
sulted in broken health, which had several times been restored 
under the promise to enter the active work of the ministry. After 
almost three years in the Southland, his health began to break 
rapidly, when he made a final promise to God, that if the way 
opened he would yield to the Spirit's call, and enter the ministry. 




CHAS. B. ALLEN. 



5i8 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



He immediately wrote his spiritual father, Dr. Buchtel, then pas- 
tor of Grace Church, Denver, who telegraphed him that Salida 
was open, and that Dr. Chamberlain, the presiding elder, would 
hold it for him. On his way West, at Richmond, Indiana, he was 
licensed to exhort by a specially-called Quarterly Conference. 
He arrived in Salida, December 13, 1885, where he was made a 
local preacher. 

In August of 1886 he came into the experience of entire sanc- 
tification, in the privacy of his own study; but the light never 
fully flooded his soul until the following January, when he made 
his first public confession of the blessing, in a revival service in 
Salida. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Goodsell in 1889, and 
elder by Bishop Andrews in 1891. His work has been: Salida, 
1885-88; Broadway, Pueblo, 1888-92; Montrose, 1892-94; St. 
James, Denver, 1894-96. December 19, 1889, he was married, in 
Pueblo, to Miss Ella Leyshon. A charming daughter brightens 
their home. He is a man, like Stephen, "full of faith and the 
Holy Ghost," and preaches with the "sword of the Spirit," in 
full expectation of the Divine benediction. The Lord wonderfully 
blesses his ministry. 

Wellington P. Rhodes was born January 24, 1857, m ^It- 
Pleasant, Iowa; "born again," at Lincoln, Nebraska, in January, 
1870; called to the ministry in 1873; graduated from the Ne- 
braska State University in the class of 1876, with the degree of 

A. B., and from Garrett Biblical Institute in 1878, with degree of 

B. D.; attended Boston University School of Theology one year, 
and became a post-graduate in 1894. Having resided in Colorado 
from June, 1861, to September, 1863, he returned to this State, to 
engage in ministerial work, April 10, 1887. Plis pastorates have 
been: Colorado City, 1887: Sterling, 1888, Georgetown, 1889-90; 
Leadville, 1891-92; the next two years in school; Montrose, 1895. 
In 1896, feeling that he was especially called to the work of a 
teacher, he took a certificate of location, and has since helped as 
a substitute teacher in the Iliff School of Theology. Brother 
Rhodes is scholarly and efficient in whatever he undertakes. Has 
made an excellent record as a minister of Christ, and will un- 
questionably have marked success as a teacher, should he con- 
tinue in this line of work. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



519 



The Frenchman's Valley Mission was organized July 10, 
1S87, by Rev. J. M. Adair, a supernumerary member of the North 
Nebraska Conference, at a basket-meeting held at B. Carnahan's, 
section 21, town 8 north, range 45 west, which was on the town 
site of Holyoke, the county seat of Phillips County. Forty per- 
sons gave their names, and became members and probationers in 
the Church. 

The first Quarterly-meeting Conference convened at the same 
time and place, J. M. Adair, the pastor, presiding in the absence 
of the presiding elder. William Adland was the secretary. A. G. 
Payne, W. Whipple, N. Porter, A. H. Miller, and William Ad- 
land were appointed stewards. A Sunday-school was organized 
at the same time. 

Brother Adair started the idea of building a church at once, 
and B. F. Todd, a succeeding pastor, completed the enterprise. 
The property is valued at $2,200. The pastors since have been: 
H. R. Antes, W. L. Bailey, W. E. Collett, C. W. Bridwell, and 
John A. Long. The work has been attended with blessed revivals 
from time to time, in which sinners were converted and believers 
sanctified. 

Owkn E. Ramsey was born, October 24, 1844, at LaSalle, 
Illinois; converted in October, 1866, at Gainesville, Illinois; edu- 
cated at Wheaton College, Illinois; came to Colorado in 1882, 
and engaged in ornamental painting in Denver; joined the St. 
James Methodist Episcopal Church, during the pastorate of the 
writer, in 1884, and became at once active in the Sunday-school 
work and other means of grace; licensed to preach, March, 1887, 
and supplied Buena Vista in 1887-8; Fairplay, 1889; Alma, Wy- 
oming, 1890-91 ; joined the West Nebraska Conference, October, 
1891. In November after, he was sent to Valentine, Nebraska, 
where he remained a full five years' term. His eldest son went 
out as a missionary under Bishop Taylor in Africa, May, 1894. 
Brother Ramsey is zealous for the cause of Christ, and inspires 
souls to work for him wherever he goes. 

1888. — For the first time in its history, the Conference met 
outside of Colorado, — its birthplace, — in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 
Bishop Isaac W. Joyce presided, and called the Conference to 



520 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



order at nine o'clock A. M., July 19th. He conducted the open- 
ing exercises, consisting of Scripture reading, prayer, singing, 
and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Forty-six members 
answered to their names at roll-call. Others reported later. 

The presiding elders made interesting reports, from which a 
few extracts will be given: 

J. H. Merritt, presiding elder, said: "A church has been built 
at Loveland, 28 x 48, costing $2,700, and a parsonage of four 
rooms, which cost $640. A frame church has been built at Erie, 
28x45, which cost $1,594; another at Carbon, Wyoming, at a 
cost of $1,200. Golden has built a parsonage, 24x40, which 
cost $1,500. Platteville has a new parsonage, 24x26, free of 
debt, which cost $1,100. The church at Black Hawk having 
been ruined by the floods, a new one is started on another site. 
A church-building is being erected at Holyoke; also one each at 
Yuma, Kit Carson, Burlington, and California Street, Denver. 
Herman C. Scripps, a student at the Denver University, supplied 
Georgetown, in the place of D. W. Calfee, who was transferred 
to the California Conference. E. G. Harbert supplied Fort Col- 
lins Circuit. Jacob Keagey did not go to Windsor. Howard B. 
Antes was transferred from the Rock River Conference, to fill 
the vacancy. Irving F. McKay, who was supplying Carbon, 
Wyoming, when Evans became vacant by the death of Brother 
Kenyon, was removed there. Kent White was sent to Fort Lup- 
ton until Commencement, when W. A. McElphatrick filled the 
place." 

N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder, reported: "The church at 
Monte Vista is completed. Churches at Castle Rock, Florence, 
Rockvale, Lamar, and First Church, in Pueblo, were dedicated 
during the year. J. W. Flesher began a church in Granada in 
December last, and dedicated it June 8, 1888. A church is in 
course of erection at Colorado City; another nearly completed 
at Dallas Park, and one in the country near Monte Vista; La 
Junta, Mulvane, Coal Creek, Mesa, Pueblo, and Grace, Denver, 
are all building. Grand Junction will also build. The churches 
at Buena Vista, Salida, Canon City; St. James, Denver; Gunnison, 
Trinidad, and First Church, Pueblo, have been repaired, and made 
additions. The pastor at Glenwood Springs has had more work 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



521 



than he could do. A. D. Shockley, a local preacher, in Chiving- 
ton, has formed a circuit. A. B. Bruner went into Las Animas, 
and organized a class." 

One of the memorable things of this Conference session was 
the discussion over the formation of a "new district." The reso- 
lution asking for this was introduced by David H. Moore and 
Gilbert De LaMatyr, on the first day of the session. The dis- 
cussion took place on the second day. Several brethren took part 
therein. Dr. Moore made one of the strongest speeches of his 
life in favor of the resolution, which was carried by a large major- 
ity. The result was, the Gunnison (now Salida) District became 
one of the Conference divisions, with its own distinct leader. 

The transfers received were: 

Joseph P. Bishop, from the Cincinnati Conference. Appoint- 
ments: Lamar and Granada, each one year; was transferred to 
the California Conference in 1890. 

L. W. Elkins, from the Erie Conference. Attended school 
at Evanston, Illinois, one year; then transferred to the Austin 
Conference, in 1889. 

W. H. Williams, from the Northwest Kansas Conference. 
Pastorates: Silver City, New Mexico, two years; then was trans- 
ferred to the Arkansas Conference, 1890. 

E. G. Harbkrt was born in Virginia, February 28, 1853; con- 
verted in his fifteenth year; entered the West Virginia Conference 
in 1878; was transferred to the Nebraska Conference, in Decem- 
ber, 1885, and to the Colorado two years after; pastor on Fort 
Collins Circuit and at Ouray, each one yea^. In 1889 was left 
without an appointment, "to attend some one of our schools;" was 
transferred to the Missouri Conference in 1892. He was an 
earnest Christian worker, and his influence for good abides. 

Howard R. Antes was born, October 20, 1850, in Mifflin- 
burg, Pa.; converted in Warren, Illinois, in the winter of 1871; 
licensed to preach, and began a college course the same year, 
graduating from the Northwestern University in 1877; began 
preaching at Peru, Illinois, in October following. He traveled 
ten years in the Rock River Conference, and then was trans- 
ferred to Colorado in 1887, and stationed at New Windsor; im- 
proved the parsonage here, and had a good revival. In 1889 he 



522 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



was appointed missionary to the Navajo Indians in New Mexico, 
but did not remain long owing to lack of support. In 1890 he 
was sent to Florence Circuit, where he remained three years; 
built a church at Coal Creek; paid off the debt, and improved the 
Florence church; left three stations formed out of his original 
charge; Rocky Ford, 1893; Glenwood Springs, 1894. Prohi- 
bition and entire sanctification are the specialties of his ministry. 
These subjects are presented clearly by him, and in the very best 
of spirit. The result is, that souls are usually saved where he 
preaches. The burden of his soul for the neglected Navajoes 
became so great he left his work during the Conference year, and 
went as a voluntary missionary to those Indians. He was located 
at his own request in 1895, that he might engage wholly in this 
work. "Holiness unto the Lord," and entire devotion to God's 
service, as his motto, are fitly illustrated in his life. The Church 
should contiibute to the support of himself and family while en- 
gaged in this laudable undertaking of 
Christianizing the untutored savage. 
God bless and help him! should be the 
prayer of each. (Malachi iii, 10.) 

B. F. Todd was born in Mt. Vernon, 
Knox County, Ohio, October 13, 1833; 
converted in Waterloo, Iowa, December 
1873; licensed to exhort as soon as eli- 
gible, and to preach, August 21, 1875; 
since that time has been engaged in min- 
isterial work in the Des Moines, Iowa, 
and Missouri Conferences ; then, for four 
years, in the Free Methodist Church 
in Colorado. He supplied Castle Rock, 
1887-8, where he built the church; July, 1888, was received into 
the Conference on his credentials. Since that time he has served 
the following charges: Holyoke, one year; Platteville, two years; 
Castle Rock, a part of a year; when he was transferred to the 
South Kansas Conference, 1892; returned in 1893, and sup- 
plied Saguache. In 1894 was retransferred, and appointed to 
Gwillimville ; then to Castle Rock Circuit, in 1895-6. He was in 




THE THIRD DECADE. 



523 



poor health at the time, and unable to attend the session of 1896. 
It was hoped he would soon recover, so as to continue his work 
among those with whom he had long labored; but it was not 
thus to be. His disease developed rapidly, and in a few weeks he 
passed on to join the bloodwashed throng in the glory-world. 
Brother Todd was a thoroughly consecrated man of God, and 
an earnest preacher of a free and full salvation from all sin, mak- 
ing "holiness" a specialty. His name is as "ointment poured 
forth" in the charges he has served. 
Those received on trial were: 

William A. McElphatrick was born, September 21, 1851, 
in Chenango County, Pennsylvania; raised in Ohio; educated 
at the Ohio Wesleyan University and at Drew Theological Semi- 
nary; licensed to preach, in 1881, at Delaware, Ohio. Appoint- 
ments: Lupton, two years, — built a small church near the mouth 
of the Big Dry, about six miles southwest of Lupton; Delta, one 
year and a part of the next, starting a church enterprise there; 
Akron, three years, where he had a good revival ; became a super- 
numerary in 1895. He is a brother beloved, and an acceptable 
pastor and preacher; greatly esteemed by the people with whom 
he has labored. 

John W. FlLSHLr was born, July 14, 1863, in Iroquois 
County, Illinois; educated at the Olney High School, Illinois, 
where he was converted in 1876; licensed to preach at River Falls, 
Wisconsin, in the spring of 1886; he spent one year on the Crit- 
tendon Circuit, Kentucky Conference, under the elder, and nine 
months at Granada, Colorado, in the same relation. Here he 
had a good revival, and built a neat church. A year at Colorado 
City, where he built two parsonages, — one was built and sold, 
and then another of five rooms to take its place. The following 
year he was at Silver Plume; then at Tupton three years, where 
he built a five-room brick parsonage, and had a good revival; 
ordained deacon in 1889, and elder in 1891 : Highlands, Denver, 
in 1893-4, where his wife died near the close of the first year; 
left without an appointment in 1895 to attend school; appointed 
to New Windsor, 1896. Soon after going there his health failed, 



524 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and it became necessary for him to give up his charge. He re- 
turned to Minnesota, to the home of his mother, that he might 
regain his health under these more favorable conditions. He has 
since taken work on the Northwest Pacific Coast. Brother 

Flesher is scholarly, spir- 
itual, and attractive as a 
preacher. His record is 
good, and his influence 
will continue to point men 
Christward. 

Florida F. Passmore 
was born in Union 
County, Georgia, August 
12, 1844; moved with his 
father, when six years of 
age, to Polk County, East 
Tennessee; came to Colo- 
rado in April, 1879; joined 
the Methodist Episcopal 
Church in 1880; licensed 
to preach, in November, 1880, at Alma, Park County, Colorado, 
by the Rev. Earl Cranston, presiding elder; admitted to Confer- 
ence in 1888, and ordained to local orders as an elder at the same 
time, having been ordained deacon previously. He was pastor 
at Alma and Breckenridge, each five years. At the latter place 
he made a valiant fight against rum and sin in high places, and 
brought out the opposition of the baser elements. August 17, 
1 89 1, an attempt was made to blow up the steeple of his church 
with dynamite, and those "of the baser sort" hung him in effigy, 
March, 1894, ordering him to leave town, threatening his life in 
case of non-compliance. True to God, his own conscience, and 
the law of the Church he remained at his post until relieved by 
the expiration of his term. He became a supernumerary in 
1894-5. He is a man of good natural abilities, firm in his con- 
victions, and possesses an uncompromising spirit. In his recent 
history he has denounced unsparingly some of the prominent 
members of the Conference and the resident bishop, without 





THE THIRD DECADE. 



525 



cause, as most of the brethren think, dealing in bitter person- 
alities. His brethren bore with him long and patiently, but to no 
effect. In 1896, charges having been brought against him, he 
was expelled from the ministry. In all that he has done, he 
claims to have the Divine approval. 

Tilmon Jenkins. Del Norte and Yuma, each two years; 
Hugo, in 1892; located in 1893. 

William L. Bailey. Las Animas and Morrison, each one 
year; Holyoke, two years; Georgetown, three years; Sterling, 
1895-6. He is zealous as a minister, faithful as a pastor, with 
great promise of a useful career in the pastorate. 

George S. Oliver, Joseph B. Long, W. A. McElphatrick, and 
John W. Flesher were ordained as deacons, and Edward J. Wil- 
cox, William Osburn, William C. Madison, and Florida F. Pass- 
more as elders, July 22, 1888. 

Wyoming Mission was set off by itself at this session, with 
D. L. Rader superintendent, and O. L. Fisher, Joseph B. Long, 
H. L. Wriston, J. W. Linn, H. A. James, and C. R. Laporte, as 
Colorado representatives in the pastorate. 

C. R. Laporte was returned to Chugwater Circuit, Wyoming, 
as a supply. In 1894-5 was sent to Granada, Colorado, where 
he did good work. He is a conscientious man, and an earnest 
preacher of the gospel. 

RifXL Circuit. — At De Beque, Captain De LaMatyr's family 
were the "standbys." Plans for a church-building were begun 
at Rifle before the Conference session of 1889, and during the fol- 
lowing year, under Brother Hallett's leading, it was built. Grand 
River Circuit, now "Rifle," appears in the Conference Journal 
for the first time in 1889, and left "to be supplied." Father Dyer 
preached there for a time; then Naaman Bascom, who was fol- 
lowed, in 1890-91, by J. C. Veeder; L. E. Kennedy, 1892; C. W. 
Simmons, 1893-4. At the session of 1895 the name was changed 
to Rifle Circuit. Austin Crooks has been the pastor for 1895-6. 

Irving F. McKay was born, March 11, 1866, in Ohio; con- 
verted February 1, 1884, through the influence of his brother 



526 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Oscar; joined the Reformed Church, April 3, 1884; called to 
preach the same day; sanctified, February 7, 1885; was educated 
at the Ohio Wesleyan University ; came to Colorado, October 27, 
1887; joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, November 25, 
1887, and was licensed to preach the same day, by Dr. Chamber- 
lain, presiding elder, and then was sent to Carbon, Wyoming, by 
Presiding Elder Merritt. He was changed to Evans, Colorado, 
April 23, 1888, to fill the place of R. L. Kenyon, deceased; re- 
turned at the session of 1889; was married to Mattie Collins, of 
Evans, October 1, 1889. He soon after went to Nebraska, and 



istic engagements during the winter. In 1896 he was sent to 
Georgetown as a supply, filling the pulpit there and at Silver 
Plume. He teaches the Scriptural doctrine of holiness, as taught 
by John Wesley, with great clearness and distinctness. The God 
of Jacob is with him, and blesses his labors. 

R. E. Kenyon was born, August 13, 1832, in Broome County, 
New York; converted in November, 1850, and soon felt it his 
duty to preach. He entered the Oneida Conference in 1854; two 
years after he was ordained elder, and admitted into full connec- 




I. F. McKAY. 



united with the West Nebraska 
Conference, September 8, 1890; 
ordained deacon by Bishop 
Goodsell, October 4, 1891, at 
North Platte, Neb.; took a cer- 
tificate of location, September 29, 
1894, that he might engage in 
evangelistic work. His home is 
now in University Park, Colo- 
rado. He was sent by Presiding 
Elder Madison to the North 
Park, in September, 1895. On 
November 29th he organized a 
society at Walden, of ten mem- 
bers. He had several conversions 
while on that work. The last of 
December he returned to the vi- 
cinity of Denver, to fill evangel- 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



527 



tion; was transferred to the Wyoming Conference in 1867; was 
made a superannuate, on account of his health, in 188 1, and came 
to Colorado the next year. He supplied here the following 
charges: Caribou, a part of a year; Erie and Louisville, one year; 
Loveland, three years; Evans, 1887, during which year he ceased 
to work and live. He was an excellent preacher, and a thor- 
oughly good man. His end was peace. 

1889. — For tne third time Conference met in Colorado 
Springs, August 1st, at nine o'clock A. M., Bishop D. A. Good- 
sell in the chair. The usual opening services were conducted by 
the bishop, assisted by others. 

Interesting reports were read from the presiding elders, as 
given below in part: 

J. H. Merritt, who had been on the Northern District, said: 

"S. A. Winsor was compelled to resign Georgetown, because 
of a severe operation, followed by hemorrhages, which nearly 
cost him his life. T. A. Wiltsee was appointed to superintend 
the New Mexico English work, which left Central City vacant; 
it has since been supplied by J. G. Eberhart. W. M. Bewley, 
because of sickness in his family, has resigned, and gone to Cali- 
fornia. L. Wright filled out the year at Golden. H. L. Beardsley 
resigned Morrison, and accepted work in the office of the Rocky 
Mountain Christian Advocate; W. L- Bailey followed him at Morri- 
son. Erie church is dedicated, and cost $2,244. A church, 28x55, 
costing $2,200, has been built at Holyoke, free of local indebted- 
ness. On the Big Dry, near Lupton, a chapel has been built, 
which cost $700, free of debt. Black Hawk, Christ Church, and 
Simpson, of Denver, are engaged in new Church enterprises. 
Lots have been secured in North Denver and Fort Collins for new 
churches. A new parsonage has been built in Longmont, which 
cost $2,000. The parsonage in Loveland has been finished. In 
the midst of the year I was thrown from a carriage and severely 
hurt, and was confined to my room for over seven weeks. My 
work was supplied by the brethren." 

N. A. Chamberlain, who was on the Southern District, stated: 
"That a new church, costing $1,800, had been built, and dedicated, 
free of debt, at Burlington." This was a new town on the Plains 
34 



528 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



east of Denver., and not the old stage station on the St. Vrain, 
south of Longmont. 

"A new parsonage has been built, without debt, at Colorado 
City. The enlargement of the church at Colorado Springs has 
cost $6,000. At Valverde a church-building is in process of 
erection. The church at Fifth Avenue has been enlarged, at a 
cost of $800, and a seven-room parsonage built, costing $2,200; 
there is a debt of $800 on this. A beautiful and complete struc- 
ture, known as Grace Church, has been added to Evans Memo- 
rial. Two class-rooms have been built on to St. James, and a 
furnace and gas put in, at a cost of $1,800. Trinity is complete 
and in use, a noble structure. La Junta has provided for the last 
of her indebtedness. Bishop Warren presented to First Church, 
Pueblo, a roomy, beautiful parsonage, in memory of his sainted 
mother. A church has been built and dedicated on the Mesa, at 
Pueblo, with all claims provided for. The pastors in Eastern 
Colorado have been greatly helped by the generous aid of the 
Woman's Home Missionary Society. Drs. David H. Moore and 
G. De LaMatyr leave us, bearing the love and highest regards 
of every member of this Conference." 

C. A. Brooks, of the Gunnison District, made his first report, 
from which I copy as follows: "The pastors have been faithful 
and successful. The church debt has been nearly paid, and all is 
moving pleasantly at Aspen. A charge has been formed of Ala- 
mosa, Fa Jara, and Catherine, and classes organized, with a prom- 
ising outlook. The town of Durango has been largely burned; 
the church, parsonage, and pastor's possessions have gone up in 
the flames; plans are made for a new church, and there is a vigor- 
ous prosecution of the work. A Howbert and Florissant Cir- 
cuit has been formed, with good promise. John Whisler was 
elected financial agent of the University of Denver, and taken 
from Feadville; J. W. Finn has filled out the year with success, 
paying a few old debts and having some souls converted. Sixty 
conversions are reported at Salida, A church has been built at 
Como. A Grand River Circuit is being developed. In conjunc- 
tion with the district, I was appointed to the pastorate of Gunni- 
son City. I have preached as pastor every other Sabbath, except 
four, which were 'supplied.' The duties of either are sufficient 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



529 



to demand all of one's energies and time. No great success need 
be expected in either line while this arrangement continues. 
These mountain men have shown true heroism, worthy successors 
of the fathers." 

Those who came into the Conference by transfer were: 



J. L. Vallow, from the Southern Illinois Conference, was 
born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, May 9, 1855; converted when 
thirteen years of age; wanted to be a lawyer, but felt all the time 



that he must preach the gospel. 
McKendree College, Lebanon, 
Illinois; was admitted on trial in 
the Southern Illinois Conference, 
in September, 1882; ordained 
deacon by Bishop Foster, in 
1884, and elder by Bishop Wal- 
den, in 1886. His appointments 
in that Conference were: Farina, 
Iuka, Irvington, Pleasant Grove, 
and Farina a second term. In 
Colorado, he has filled: Gunni- 
son, 1889; Salida, 1890-91; Grand 
Junction, 1892-4 ; Durango, 
1895-6, where over two hundred 
souls have been converted. Mrs. 
Hattie Livingston assisted in 
meetings here. He was married 
to Miss Annie M. Welborn, of 
Mt. Pleasant, Illinois, December 25, 1885 
an interesting preacher, a skillful pastor, 
work. He preaches a full gospel. 



He is an undergraduate of 




j. 1,. VAI^OW. 

Brother Vallow is 
and succeeds in his 



Wil,l,iam Pearce, from the Upper Iowa Conference, was sent 
to Monte Vista; withdrew from the Church the next year. 

R. A. Chase:, from the Northewst Iowa Conference, was born 
March 10, 1859, in Cattaraugus County, New York; converted 
in the winter of 1876, and admitted on trial in the traveling min- 



53° 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



istry in 1883; was educated at the Epworth Seminary and Cornell 
College, where he took the degree of A. B. in 1883, and A. M. in 
3885. He is now pursuing a Ph. D. course. 

In the Western Iowa Conference he served the following 
charges: Norway, Reinbeck, and Albion; in the Northwest Iowa 
Conference, Forest City and Spencer; in the Colorado Confer- 
ence, Fort Collins, 1889-90, where he put $300 repairs on the 
parsonage, and purchased lots for a new church; Grant Avenue, 
Denver, 1891-2; here lots were purchased, and a building 



the Word, and efficient pastor; in fact, may be said to be a good 
"all-around" minister of the gospel. 

Henry J. Grack, from the Northwest Iowa Conference, was 
born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, November 29, 1854; attended 
the public schools until seventeen, when he entered the Scio Col- 
lege, from which he graduated in June, 1879, with the degree of 
A. B. He was converted at the age of thirteen, and licensed to 
preach in June, 1879. He was appointed to Clarion, the county- 
seat of Wright County, Iowa, the same fall, where he remained 




R. A. CHASli. 



erected, at an expense of 
$4,000, and the membership 
increased to two hundred; at 
Boulder, 1893-5, where God 
abundantly blessed his labors 
in an increase of membership, 
and in removing of the 
church debt. In 1896 he was 
placed at Canon City! Has 
had revivals every year except 
one on his pastorates. He 
was married to Miss Mary E. 
Cockran, of Oswego, Illinois, 
November 7, 1883. Four 
children have been born to 
them, two of whom died at 
Fort Collins. He is a genial 
brother, an able preacher of 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



531 



three years, completing the parsonage and building a new church . 
In the fall of 1880 he joined the Northwest Iowa Conference; 
was ordained deacon two years later by Bishop Bowman, and 
elder in 1884 by Bishop Andrews. He filled also the following 
appointments: Dakota City and Humboldt, 1882-3-4; Sac City, 
1885-6-7. In the fall of 1888 he came with his family to Colo- 
rado, and was soon after sent to Grand Junction. Here he pur- 
chased the church edifice belonging to the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South, for $2,000, which afterward he sold for $2,500, 
and then built a better one, valued at $5,000, which was dedicated 
by Dr. Cranston, July 20, 1890. At Salida, 1892-3 ; Pueblo, Pine 
Street, 1894-5; Erie, 1896. In all these charges his labors have 
resulted in building up the Church of Christ. He is a good pas- 
tor, and a very helpful minister of the blessed gospel. In March, 

1883, he was married to Miss Emma N. Wells, who has proven a 
worthy helpmeet in his life-work. 

A. D. Fairbanks, a supply, began work in Grand Junction, 

1884, reporting at the ensuing Conference session seventeen mem- 
bers, but no Sunday-school. In 1885 W. C. Madison was sent 
there, and reported the next year twenty-three members and one 
Sunday-school, with ten officers and teachers and sixty-five schol- 
ars of all ages in attendance; was left to be supplied in 1886; sub- 
sequent pastors are: A. E. Chase, 1887, who built a parsonage 
worth $800: H. J. Grace, 1888-91; J. E. Vallow, 1892-4; H. B. 
Cook, 1895 ; T. E, Sisson, 1896. 

Those received on trial were: 

Edward E. Allison was born in Spencer, Owen County, 
Indiana, March 3, 1857, and departed this life in Denver, Colo- 
rado, November 9, 1892; was converted in early life; attended 
school at the University of Denver for some time before entering 
the ministry. August 20, 1890, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Clara Louise Sylla, stepdaughter of Dr. Gilbert De Ea- 
Matyr. 

He was sent to Hugo, 1889-91, and to East Pueblo, 1892, 
where he closed his earthly labors. As a pastor he was diligent, 



532 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



and as a preacher expository in style. His closing earthly ex- 
pressions were those of a conqueror. He joined in singing at the 
very last: 

"My latest sun is sinking fast, 
My race is nearly run; 
My strongest trials now are past, 
My triumph is begun." 



James C. Veeder was born in Albany, New York, September 
13, 1855 ; came with his family to Illinois when he was a child, 
thence to Colorado in 1886; was married to Miss Eugenie Brad- 
way, of Iowa, in July, 1888; took 
an academic course at Grand 
Prairie Seminary, Illinois, before 
coming to Colorado, and has since 
taken a full theological course at 
the Iliff School of Theology, grad- 
uating therefrom in 1895. 

His appointments have been: 
La Jara, two years; Rifle, two 
years; Evans, one year; Morrison, 
two years; and Julesburg, 1895-6. 
At Ea Jara he organized a society 
and built a church, and has had a 
good measure of success on each 
of his charges. While pastor at 
Evans and Morrison, he pursued 
and completed his course of study. 
He is an efficient laborer in the Master's vineyard, and promises 
well for the future. 



j. c. vender. 




Elmer E. Marshall was assigned work in New Mexico. 
His connection with this Conference ceased in 1893, by the or- 
ganization of the Spanish Mission Conference of New Mexico. 



Melvin Nichols was a missionary in Wyoming for three 
years, and then was transferred to the Black Hills Mission Con- 
ference. 

Besides the above-mentioned three, there were thirteen Mexi- 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



533 



can brethren admitted, who were engaged in missionary work 
with Brother T. Harwood in New Mexico. 

At this session, on August 4, 1889, Bishop Goodsell ordained 
as deacons, Wellington P. Rhodes, Kent White, John R. Wood, 
Charles B. Allen, Thomas Andrew; and as elders, Herschel D. 
Seckner, John W. Linn, Joshua Shawber, Augustus L. Chase. 

1890. — For five days the Conference was in session in Canon 
City, beginning July 23d, with Bishop William X. Ninde in the 
chair. He announced hymn 524, which was sung, when J. L. 
Dyer and T. C. Iliff led in prayer. The sacrament of the Lord's 
Supper was administered. Secretary and assistants were elected 
by acclamation. The business was taken up in the usual Dis- 
ciplinary form. The presiding elders presented reports, which, 
when abbreviated, read as follows: 

Presiding Elder J. H. Merritt reports: "H. R. Antes did not 
go to Holyoke, but to the Navajo Indians in New Mexico; H. B. 
Cook, of the Wyoming Conference, served this charge. Richard 
Eason, of Canada, supplied Julesburg. Two local preachers 
served Fleming Circuit; first, A. B. Lewis, and then J. W. 
Antes. Greeley was supplied for two months by W. J. Judd, of 
the Wyoming Conference, when B. T. Vincent was transferred 
from the East Ohio Conference. D. H. Moore was appointed to 
Boulder, but was soon after elected editor of the Western Chris- 
tian Advocate; M. W. Hissey was transferred to fill his place. A 
new church, valued at $3,500, has been built at Black Hawk, and 
was dedicated by Bishop Warren, October 13, 1889. Christ 
Church, Denver, 70 x 113, has been built of lava-stone, with red 
sandstone trimmings, two stories in height, and will seat eight 
hundred. It is valued at $75,000. North Denver (now Asbury 
Church) has built of stone a two-story structure, 79 x 92, which, 
when finished, will seat one thousand persons. Simpson Church 
has built a wing, 39 x 73, valued at $10,500. A church, 22 x 36, 
costing $1,500, has been built at Russell Gulch. One has been 
started at Arvada, 28x40, which will cost about $3,000; another 
has been begun at Louisville, 29x40, which will cost about 
$1,500. The church at Morrison was burned; it was insured for 
$500." 



534 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder, reported: ''William 
Grooves, a local preacher, served Granada the last half of the year, 
the pastor's health having failed. G. S. Oliver resigned, and 
withdrew from the Church; M. A. Casey supplied his place at 
Trinidad. Edward Ward was placed in charge at Manitou, in- 
stead of L. C. Smith. Churches in process of erection, or con- 
templated, at the following points; namely, Roswell, Flem- 
ing's Grove, and Valverde. An addition at Trinidad has been 
completed and dedicated. Fifth Avenue, Denver, has been en- 
larged." 

C. A. Brooks, presiding elder, reported: "Dallas Park Circuit 
was supplied by Harry R. Osborne, of North Dakota. Tilmon 
Jenkins supplied Del Norte. A new church has been opened 
since the fire at Durango, and another at Grand Junction, valued 
at $5,000, H. J. Grace pastor. Edgar White began at Fruita. 
Naaman Bascom has built a small parsonage at Rifle. J. G. 
Eberhart, of the Rock River Conference, remained at Ouray 
until May, when he returned to his old haunts; J. B. Long filled 
out the year. J. C. Veeder has built a little church at Ea 
Jara." 

Twelve members came into the Conference this year by trans- 
fer, two withdrew, and eleven were transferred out of it. Fifteen 
were received on trial. These changes made an increase of four- 
teen over the report of last year. 

G. N. Eldridge, on behalf of the preachers of the Northern 
District, in a few well-chosen words, presented J. H. Merritt, the 
retiring presiding elder, a beautiful gold watch, in token of their 
friendship and good wishes. 

Those transferred who became active members of the Con- 
ference were: 

B. T. Vincent, from the East Ohio Conference. (See Chap- 
ter VII.) 

M. A. Casey, from the Central Ohio Conference. At Trini- 
dad, four years; Grant Avenue, Denver, one year; supernumerary 
in 1894; transferred back to his former Conference in 1896. He 
was a faithful pastor, an instructive preacher, and led his people 
out into a better life and greater usefulness. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



535 



William F. McDowKll was born in Millersburg, the 
county-seat of Holmes County, Ohio, February 4, 1858. His 
father was a prominent merchant of the town, and a leading mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, whose residence was the 
"home" of the weary itinerant. At the age of sixteen William 
entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, and five years later gradu- 
ated with the degree of A. B. In 1882 he took the degree of 
S. T. B. from the School of Theology of Boston University, and 
M. A. from his Alma Mater. Entering the North Ohio Confer- 
ence the same year, he spent one year at Lodi, two in Oberlin, 
and five in Tiffin. In 1890 he was elected chancellor of "the 
University of Denver." In 1891 he 
received the degree of Ph. D., and in 
1894 that of S. T. D. from the Ohio 
Wesleyan University. 

In the fall of 1882, he was married 
to Miss Clotilda Lyon, of the class of 
1880 in the Ohio Wesleyan. Her 
father, Rev. A. J. Lyon, was a Con- 
ference classmate of the writer forty- 
three years ago in the North Ohio 
Conference. 

The chancellor was converted in 
William Street Methodist Episcopal 
Church, Delaware, Ohio, March 7, 
1875, during his first year in college, in a blessed revival that was 
in progress there at that time. 

Since coming to Denver he has acted as pastor of Trinity 
Methodist Episcopal Church for six months, between the pastor- 
ates of Drs. Buchtel and Mclntyre, and was for nearly a year the 
acting pastor of the First Congregational Church, Denver, be- 
tween the pastorates of the late Dr. Coyle and Dr. Ecob. He has 
also preached for the Central Presbyterian Church in the same 
manner, and has filled other leading Denver pulpits. He inaugu- 
rated "the University Extension" movement in Colorado, by a 
series of lectures called "Studies in the French Revolution;" 
first given in Greeley, and afterward in Colorado Springs; then in 
Denver and at University Park. (See Chapter XIV.) 




536 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Rezin M. Barns was born, August 29, 1830, in Wooster, 
Wayne County, Ohio; born again, January 26, 1847, i n a l°g 
church, near Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana, at a meeting 
held by the late Dr. T. M. Eddy. 

His father, Dr. William Barns, died when he was only four 
years old, and his mother nine years later, leaving him to work 
his way through the world alone. After securing what help he 
could at the public schools, he attended Asbury (now DePauw) 
University for one year; was married October 31, 1852, and was 
soon after licensed to exhort; supplied as assistant pastor on 



1863-4; Wesley Chapel, Connersville, 1865-6; Greensburg, 
1867-9, when he was transferred to the Illinois Conference, and 
stationed at Clinton, 1870-1; Bloomfield, 1872-4; First Church, 
Springfield, 1875; Grace, Jacksonville, 1876-9; Danville, 1880-1, 
where he remained eighteen months, when he was transferred 
to the St. Louis Conference, and appointed to Grand Avenue 
Church, Kansas City. In 1885 he was transferred to the North 
Indiana Conference, and appointed to Grace Church, Richmond, 
1885-7; Wayne Street, Fort Wayne, 1888-9; i n ^9° ne was trans- 
ferred to Colorado, and appointed to Christ Church, Denver, 




R. M. BARNS. 



Moorsfield Circuit for about eight 
months; admitted on trial in the 
Southeast Indiana Conference, 
September, 1854, and appointed 
to the Hartford Circuit; subse- 
quently to Lawrenceburg, Frank- 
lin, London, Wilmington, Madi- 
son, St. John's, Indianapolis, and 
Asbury. At this last he remained 
only three weeks, when he was 
elected chaplain of the 6th Regi- 
ment Indiana Infantry. His 
health failing, he remained with 
the regiment only eight months, 
when he resigned, and returned 
to his pastoral work. His later 
appointments were as follows: 
Moorsfield, 1862 ; Madison, 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



537 



1890-1; Aspen, 1892, Arvada, 1893; Simpson, Denver, 1894-5. 
At the session of 1896, having been selected by the governor of 
the State for the position, he was appointed chaplain of the Colo- 
rado State Penitentiary. His early ministry was attended with 
several sweeping revivals, in which hundreds were led to Christ. 
He reports that he has taken into the Church over twenty-eight 
hundred persons, of whom twenty-five are now preaching the 
gospel. At Bloomington, Illinois, he was instrumental in incit- 
ing a new church, costing $85,000, and at Jacksonville a parson- 
age with ten rooms. 

He received from the Asbury (now DePauw) University the 
degree of A. M., and from the Illinois Wesleyan that of D. D. 
Dr. Barns is a popular lecturer, a very entertaining preacher of 
the Word, and succeeds equally well as chaplain in the peni- 
tentiary. 

A. A. Johnson, from the Austin Conference, was born in 
Indiana, near Lexington, Scott County. His parents were poor 
people, but of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and tillers of the soil. He 
lived and worked on the farm until he was eighteen years of age, 
obtaining the best education to be had in the public schools 
of Indiana; was prepared for college at Hanover, Indiana, in 
a Presbyterian institution, and entered the Sophomore class 
in Indiana Asbury (now DePauw) University in the fall of 1872. 
He graduated from the classical course in 1875 with distinction, 
receiving the degree of B. A. In September, 1874, he entered 
the Southeastern Indiana Conference, and served a charge, dur- 
ing his Senior year, in Indianapolis. Immediately on graduation, 
he entered upon the active work of the ministry, serving charges 
at Third Street, Indianapolis, and Wesley Chapel, Madison, In- 
diana. In 1878, at the call of Dr. R. S. Rust and Bishop Harris, 
he became professor and dean of the Gilbert Haven School of 
Theology, New Orleans University. At the end of two years, 
for climatic reasons, he removed to Texas, and became the pastor 
of the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, Texas. 
After eighteen months, he was appointed presiding elder of Dallas 
District, in the Austin Conference. During his ministerial serv- 
ices in Texas he became interested in the founding of the Fort 



533 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Worth University, and from 1884 to 1890 was its president; 
erected all its buildings, raised all the funds, and organized the 
institution, leaving it worth $100,000, and with two hundred and 
fifty students. In the summer of 1890 he was transferred to the 
Colorado Conference, and stationed at Cheyenne, Wyoming. 
Eight months thereafter, he was elected president of the Univer- 
sity of Wyoming, which position he held until 1896, when he 
resigned it. At that session he was made a supernumerary. Dr. 



in April, 1874, where he spent fifteen years in the ministry. Sup- 
plied Holyoke a part of one year, when he was transferred to the 
Colorado Conference in 1890. His appointments here have been: 
Longmont, one year; Durango, four years, where he had over 
one hundred accessions to the Church; Grand Junction, one year; 
and Central City, 1896, where he is doing excellent work. 
Brother Cook is an attractive preacher, and succeeds in building 
up the kingdom of Christ in the earth. 

The society at Boulder was organized November 27, i860, 
with six members. For several years afterward, the preaching 
services were held in the homes of different persons, or in the 




Johnson has received the follow- 
ing literary degrees from De- 
Pauw University: in 1879, A. M.; 
and in 1888, D. D. He has su- 



perior natural and acquired abil- 
ities. The positions of responsi- 
bility held indicate his standing 
as a Christian minister. 



A. A. JOHNSON. 



Herbert B. Cook, from the 
Wyoming Conference, born Sep- 
tember 20, 1849; converted Feb- 
ruary 26, 1866; was educated in 
the public schools, and then at 
Cazenovia and Wyoming Semi- 
nary for three years; licensed to 
preach in the spring of 1869, and 
entered the Wyoming Conference 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



539 



schoolhouse, and then in the Congregational Church, which was 
kindly loaned them by its officers. 

The trustees of the Conference Claimants' Fund gave to the 
Boulder society four lots, which action was indorsed by the Con- 
ference in 1873. On these lots the church-building was erected, 
and dedicated November 10, 1872. 

M. W. Hissey, from the Ohio Conference, was transferred, 
late in the fall of 1889, to Boulder, to rill the place of Dr. Moore, 
who had been elected editor of the Western Christian - Advocate. 
Brother Hissey's labors were unusually successful. A much 
larger church was soon needed, the corner-stone of which was 
laid, on the old site, December 1, 1891, by Chancellor W. F. 
McDowell, of the University of Denver, who conducted the cere- 
mony, and delivered the address. The dedication of the new 
building occurred September 4, 1892. Bishop H. W. Warren 
and Dr. D. H. Moore, editor of the Western Christian Advocate, 
had charge of the services. 

In 1893-4 Brother Hissey was sent to Asbury, Denver, and 
in 1895 returned East to care for his parents, who were in feeble 
health. In 1896 he withdrew from the ministry of the Church, 
that he might enter that of a sister denomination in Ohio» He is 
now pastor of the Congregational Church in Ashtabula, Ohio. 
Brother Hissey is an interesting and forceful speaker. 

At this session fifteen were admitted on trial, and one was re- 
admitted on a certificate of location. Of these, one, I. T. Head- 
land, was transferred from us. The following were assigned work 
in the Missions of the adjoining Territories: G. A. W. Cage, Jr., 
O. B. Chassel, H. H. Austin, Benjamin Young, and M. A. Rader, 
as missionaries in Wyoming; H. A. Jones, C. L. Baxter, Samuel 
W. Small, and P. A. Paulson, as missionaries in Utah; and two 
Mexican brethren to the New Mexico Spanish Mission. 

The following histories of those, then given work in, or since 
identified with, Colorado, will be interesting: 

Charlks C. P. HiLivER was born, June 28, 1867, in Hudson, 
Michigan; joined the Church, January 1, 1882, and was converted 
soon after; attended the public and high schools in his native 
town; came to Colorado in April, 1888; was soon employed as a 
supply, organizing the Grand River (now Rifle) Circuit, preaching 



54Q 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



his first sermon in Rifle, December 16, 1888. He preached occa- 
sionally at New Castle, regularly at Ferguson's, Rifle, Coal-banks, 
Parachute, De Beque, and Upper Roan Creek. In March follow- 
ing, he started a society of eight members in Parachute, and soon 
after another of thirteen in Rifle. Previous to this, Brother Henry 
W. Hallett, an earnest lay-worker, had organized Sunday-schools 
at each of these places, and another at the Coal-banks, eight miles 
north of Rifle. This brother collected and raised most of the 
money for the church in Rifle, which was built the following year. 

The subsequent appointments of Brother Hiller have been: 
Florissant and Woodland Park, 1889-90; Bessemer, 1891-2; left 
without an appointment to attend school in 1893, but supplied 
Louisville, 1893-4; Argo and Greenwood, 1895-6. He is taking 
a regular collegiate course in the University of Denver, and filling 
pastorates at the same time. He has shown himself to be a young 
man of good abilities, and of much promise. 

The following new charge was developed this year: The Besse- 
mer (now Pine Street), Pueblo, was organized by Rev. C. B. 
Allen, pastor of Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church, Pueblo, 
August 24, 1890, with fifteen members and three probationers. 
Two weeks later, Rev. C. C. P. Hiller was placed in charge. The 
services were then held in an old meat-market, on the corner of 
Routt and Northern Avenue. The society began building a 
church in November, and had it dedicated, December 28, 1890, 
by Bishop Warren. The total membership at this time was forty, 
but a revival soon brought the number up to eighty. The pastors 
have been: C. C. P. Hiller, 1890-1-2; A. W. Nicholson, 1893; 
H. J. Grace, 1894-5; Thomas Andrew, 1896. 

F. L. L. Hiller, a brother of the Rev. C. C. P. Hiller, began 
work in East Pueblo, in 1890, where, under his superintendency, a 
church was built, and dedicated, October 14, 1891, by Rev. B. T. 
Vincent, D. D. Other pastors here: E. E. Allison, 1892, until his 
death, when M. J. Robinson was appointed to fill the vacancy; 
C. R. Ea Porte for a short time, when D. Leppert followed; S. L. 
Todd for a while, who was succeeded by O. F. Merrill, in 1894; 
Noah Brandyberry, 1895. In 1896 it was associated with another 
charge. The society is numerically and financially weak, and the 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



541 



effort to maintain services has required more than it was able 
to do. 

Returning to the list admitted on trial, we have: 

Thomas Andrew was born in Cornwall, England, June 24, 
1854; born again, October, 1877; licensed to preach in 1881 ; came 
to the United States, making his home in Colorado, in 1884; 
worked at mining three years, near Silver Plume; then supplied 
the "Plume" two years, and Erie one year; admitted on trial at 
this (1890) session, and returned to Erie for a second year, hav- 
ing been ordained local deacon the year previous. While at Erie 
he began a church enterprise at Louisville, which was completed 
by his successor. He was sent to Platteville, 1891-2; Windsor, 
1893-4-5. Here he witnessed a gracious work of grace under the 
inspiring labors of Sister Hattie Livingston and Brother Kent 
White. Souls were converted, and the Church greatly strength- 
ened. He, with others, entered into a more definite religious 
experience. In 1896 he was appointed to Pine Street, Pueblo. 
Brother Andrew is a good financier in Church affairs, a careful 
pastor, and an interesting preacher, and gives promise of years 
of growing usefulness. 

Edgar White was born in Kent, England, September 16, 
1861, and died of hemorrhage of the lungs, at the home of Brother 
John Hodgson, north of Erie, Colorado, July 16, 1895. His de- 
mise was very sudden and unexpected. He and his wife had 
ridden out that morning, making a pastoral visit. The dinner 
was over and prayers said, when he went out to his carriage to 
leave. He soon began to cough, dropped on his knees, and in 
three minutes was dead. 

In 1889 he was sent by the presiding elder to Fruita, a few 
miles west of Grand Junction, where he organized a class of 
twenty-five members, on January 9, 1890. He also started other 
societies in the country in schoolhouses, one at Colbran's, another 
at Stite's, and one at Loback's; at Delta, 189 1-2, where he com- 
pleted the church, which was dedicated by Dr. Barns, the first 
Sabbath of 1892. The next two years he spent in the Iliff School 
of Theology, and was very much beloved by the Faculty, and re- 
spected by all who knew him. In June, 1895, he was sent to Erie, 



542 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



where he soon won all hearts by his loving ministrations. He 
was a young man of marked ability. In a few short weeks his 
work was done, but his name will be held in everlasting remem- 
brance. A wife and daughter mourn his loss, as well as hosts of 
friends. 

S. A. Wkbbkr followed him at Fruita in 189 1, and built a 
parsonage; then came Austin Crooks, 1892-4, who built a church, 
which was dedicated, free of debt, by Bishop Warren, January 21, 
1893; C. W. Simmons, 1895-6. 

Marvin A. Rader was born, December 26, 1866, near Mar- 
shall, Missouri. His boyhood was spent on a farm. In 1886 he 
entered the Central College, at Fayette, Mo. While attending 
this school he was converted. He matriculated at the University 
of Denver, Colorado, in the fall of 1888, and studied with the 
medical profession in view. In the summer of 1889 he went into 
Central Wyoming to teach school. Here he found the country 
destitute of religious services of all kinds. He soon after organized 
two Sunday-schools, twelve miles apart, superintending both him- 
self, having as assistants only two good sisters. At one place a 
small church-building was almost immediately erected. At the 
request of the people he began to give Bible readings. Without 
his knowledge, the Church in Cheyenne licensed him to preach. 
When he was informed of this action, he fought against it, desir- 
ing to minister to those physically rather than morally diseased. 
His soul-struggle was so great that he soon lost all enjoyment 
in religion. Finally, after much prayer and careful study of the 
Word, he promised God that he would do anything required, if 
only he would "restore unto him the joy of his salvation." Peace 
and comfort returned, and from that after-school hour he has 
never doubted his call to the ministry. That fall he was sent 
North. He then started willingly on a journey of two hundred 
and fifty miles, requiring eight days travel, by private conveyance, 
with the thermometer 24 degrees below zero. He writes: "Dur- 
ing the next seven months I slept on the floor of a little room five 
feet by seven, and received for my labor forty-four dollars ; but I 
was happy." For three years he worked in the Wyoming Mis- 
sion; was admitted on trial in the Colorado Conference in 1890, 
and into full connection in 1892. His Colorado appointments 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



543 



have been: Louisville; Cripple Creek, 1894; Morrison, 1895-6, 
where he is now doing efficient work. So far in his ministry he 
has succeeded in the erection of five churches. Among them was 
the one at Cripple Creek, which was burned in the great fire of 
May, 1896. Brother Rader graduated from the Denver Univer- 
sity in 1894, and from the Ilift" School of Theology, 1897. He is 
a very acceptable preacher, and promises great usefulness. 

A. S. Lightwai/TKR had supplied Trinidad Circuit for two 
years; was sent to La Jara, and discontinued in 1891. 

Gustavus A. W. Cage;, Jr., readmitted on credentials from 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was born, October 18, 
1857, in Lauderdale County, Tennessee; born again when a boy 
eight years old; came with his parents to Greeley, Colorado, in 
the spring of 1872. In 1888, at Los Angeles, California, his re- 
ligious experience was greatly revived. During the first State 
holiness camp-meeting, held in Herring's Grove, on Pleasant 
View Ridge, Colorado, July, 1894, he found complete deliverance 
from sin, and was saved to the "uttermost." Since that blessed 
realization, "holiness" has been his theme, and many souls have 
been blessed under his ministry. He was educated at the Colo- 
rado State University, at Boulder, and at Vanderbilt University, 
Tennessee, spending three years at the former, and two at the 
latter. He joined the Wyoming Mission in 1889, and was sent 
to Lander, Wyoming, where he took fifteen persons into the 
Church, and cleared the church of a $700 debt; then to Rawlins, 
Wyoming. Here he improved the church and parsonage, and 
organized the first Epworth and Junior League in the Mission. 
In 1894 was sent to Erie, Colorado, and in 1895-6 to Bald Moun- 
tain, where God is blessing his labors. He is an instructive 
preacher, a careful pastor, and faithfully looks after the interests 
committed to his care. 

W. L. Bailey, Tilmon Jenkins, Samuel W. Small, O. B. Chas- 
sell, Edwin E. Allison, A. S. Lightwalter, and D. B. Vosseller, 
were ordained as deacons, and Joseph B. Long as an elder, at this 
session. 

1891. — The Conference assembled in Grace Church, Denver, 
and was called to order by Bishop E. G. Andrews, June 10th, at 
35 



544 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



4.45 P. M. In connection with opening services, the sacrament 
of the Lord's Supper was administered. The former secretary 
was re-elected by acclamation. The Conference business was 
transacted in five days. Only one presiding elder placed his re- 
port on file. J. H. Merritt said in this, in substance, as follows: 
"H. A. Buchtel was transferred in April to the Southeast Indiana 
Conference; Chancellor McDowell filled out the year. A. C. Peck 
was called to the financial agency of the University of Denver, 
and elected dean; Ira S. Sprague filled the vacancy at Colorado 
Springs, until H. E. Warner, from the Upper Iowa Conference, 
was secured for the place. A church costing about $2,000 has 
been built at Bessemer, through the efforts of the pastor, C. C. P. 
Hiller. A society has been organized at Las Animas, by E. F. A. 
Bittner. The society has prospered at Rocky Ford, and is plan- 
ning to build a church. The work of City Missions has been 
greatly blessed; its first superintendent, O. L. Fisher, goes from 
us, carrying the respect and confidence of all. A new church has 
been built at Coal Creek, which has cost about $2,000. St. James, 
Denver, has been torn down, and the building of a new and larger 
church is in progress. Epworth Leagues are now organized in 
most of the charges, and the young people are developing 
grandly. A Deaconess Home has been established in Denver, 
and a deaconess visitor is employed in Colorado Springs. A 
Christlike work is being done, worthy and commendable. 

"The Woman's Home Missionary Society is doing a grand 
work in caring for the needy members of our Conference, supple- 
menting the support furnished, so as to enable many charges to 
receive pastoral service, which otherwise could not be given. 
Rev. E. J. Wilcox gave $300 to this work." 

J. C. Veeder, Elmer E. Marshall, and William John were or- 
dained deacons, and John W. Flesher, Daniel W. Burt, Welling- 
ton P. Rhodes, Kent White, Oscar F. McKay, John R. Wood, 
and Charles B. Allen, elders. 

F. F. Thomas, Samuel W. Small, and A. S. Lightwalter were 
discontinued at their own request. 

Austin Crooks was readmitted, and returned to La Jara. His 
next appointment was Fruita, in 1892-3-4, where he built a par- 
sonage; then Rifle Circuit, 1895-6, where he is succeeding. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



545 



Those admitted on trial were : 

David S. Gray, who was returned to the Ridgeway and Dallas 
Circuit; then to Amethyst and Creede, in 1892-3; supernumerary, 
1895-6. 

J. D. Bratton; appointed to Gunnison, 1891; South Park, 
1892; Del Norte, 1893; and discontinued in 1894. 
Those transferred into the Conference were: 

Albert B. Glocknkr, born, January 24, 1844, in Milton, 
Wayne County, Indiana ; was converted in January, 1865 ; licensed 
to preach in 1872; entered the 
North Indiana Conference the 
same year; educated at the De- 
Pauw University, Greencastle, In- 
diana. He subsequently united 
with the Rocky Mountain Con- 
ference, at Salt Lake City, Utah, 
in 1875, and was appointed to 
Bozeman and Butte City, Mon- 
tana; was transferred to the South- I 

east Indiana Conference in 1876, \ 

1 

and to the Southwest Kansas Con- 
ference in 1880; made supernu- 
merary in 1889; and then trans- 
ferred to Colorado in 1890. He 
spent one year at Fairplay; three 
years at Buena Vista; and one 
each at Fort Morgan and High- 
lands, Denver; sent to Platteville, 1896. He is well-equipped for 
his life-work, earnestly defends at all times the right, and zeal- 
ously pushes the Lord's cause. 

G. M. Glick, from the Northwest Kansas Conference; Del 
Norte, 1890-2; Coal Creek, 1893; was transferred back to his old 
Conference in 1894. 

G. P. Fry, from the Ohio Conference; Raton, N. M., in the 
New Mexico English Mission; returned to his former Confer- 
ence home in 1892. 




546 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



C. W. Simmons, from the Iowa Conference; a former mission- 
ary in India under Bishop Thoburn; Mosca, 1891-2; Rifle, 1893-4; 
Fruita, 1895-6. He is doing well as an "ambassador" for the 
great "I am," his former missionary experience proving a valu- 
able training for service in this frontier work. 

Horace E. Warnkr, from the Upper Iowa Conference. His 
father was a member of the Troy Conference. Through this 
relation he enjoyed exceptionally good opportunities in obtain- 



be used as he should lead, and a year later was licensed to preach. 
In September of 1876 he entered the Drew Theological Semi- 
nary, and graduated in the spring of 1878, having served the 
Church at Maplewood, N. J., as pastor during the last year. On 
September 10, 1878, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary P., 
daughter of Rev. S. P. Williams, at Marengo, Illinois. In Oc- 
tober, 1878, he was received into the Upper Iowa Conference on 
trial; was ordained deacon in 1880, and elder in 1882. He served 
the following charges in Iowa: Reinbeck, Oilman, Postville, 
Charles City, Cedar Falls. About the middle of his fifth year at 
the last place named, he was forced to seek a climatic change, on 




ing equipment for ministerial 
work. His parents moving to 
Iowa, he attended school, first 
at the Upper Iowa University, at 
Fayette, Iowa, and then at Cor- 
nell College, where he took a 
regular classical course, gradu- 
ating 1876. 



H. E. WARMER. 



Resisting a sense of duty to 
enter the ministry, he studied, 
expecting to enter the medical 
profession. Having fallen into 
skepticism, in 1873 ne withdrew 
from the Church. His struggle 
with doubt was intense, and 
lasted for two years. In the 
summer of 1875 ^ e surrendered 
himself unreservedly to God, to 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



547 



account of bronchial trouble, and came to Colorado. In March, 
1 89 1, he took charge of the Church at Colorado Springs, remain- 
ing for over three years; took a supernumerary relation in 1894, 
in order to rest and recuperate; in 1895 was made effective, and 
appointed to Christ Church, Denver, to which he was also re- 
turned in 1896. He is making an enviable record as a wise pas- 
tor, an able minister of the gospel, and skillful financier. He is 
a brother beloved by all his associates. 

Nathan H. LEE, from the Rock River Conference, was born 
near Sharpsville, Tipton County, Indiana, July 8, 1854; educated 
in the public schools, and at Garrett Biblical Institute, from which 
he graduated in 1887, with degree of B. D.; was married to Miss 
Mary Belle, daughter of B. R. Pierce, D. D., of the Southern 
Illinois Conference, June 16, 1880. 

He was converted near Iola, Clay County, Illinois, in 1867; 
soon after felt it a duty to preach; joined the Southern Illinois 
Conference in 1879, an d was sent as junior preacher to Sumner 
Circuit; then two years at Miles, and the same time at Kane, 
when he entered ''Garrett." While at school he was pastor at 
Wauconda, Vola and Arlington Heights, Rock River Confer- 
ence, to which he was transferred in the fall of 1887, and appointed 
to Grand Crossing, Chicago. On account of his wife's health he 
left there for Laramie City, Wyoming, in the autumn of 1890. 
In October, 1892, he was changed to Canon City, Colorado, fill- 
ing out a vacancy for the remainder of the Conference year; 
Trinidad, 1893-6. At Grand Crossing, Illinois, and at Canon 
City, Colorado, he built roomy and comfortable parsonages. His 
work is spiritual, progressive, and permanent. Revivals usually 
attend his labors. He is a very acceptable preacher, and a wise 
manager of the important interests of the Church. 

Robert A. Carnine, from the Southwest Kansas Conference, 
was born near Burlington, Iowa, July 30, 1849; converted at the 
age of seventeen; educated at the Iowa Wesleyan and Iowa State 
Universities; entered the Iowa Conference in 1873, where he 
labored for thirteen years, having several far-reaching revivals 
on different charges. 



548 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



In 1886 he was transferred to the Southwest Kansas Confer- 
ence; and then, in 1891, to the Colorado. His appointments here 
have been: Aspen, one year; Broadway, Pueblo, two years. In 
1894 he was made presiding elder of the Salida District, where 
he traveled nearly twenty-four thousand miles during his first 
year, raising the standard of the cross on mountain, valley, and 
plain, to the glory of God and salvation of men. 

In 1890 he spent three months abroad, and went as far south 

as Pompeii. He made a 
journey through Ireland, and 
has lectured widely on his 
foreign travels. He was 
elected one of the alternate 
delegates to the General 
Conference in 1896. He is 
making a good record as pre- 
siding elder. Brother Car- 
nine stands high as pastor 
and preacher, and is greatly 
beloved by alL 




R. A. CARNINE. 



1892. — The: Thirtieth 
Annual Session of the Colo- 
rado Conference met in the 
Broadway Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, Pueblo, 
Thursday, June 9th, at 845 
A. M., Bishop John F. Hurst 
in the chair, who conducted the opening exercises. The presid- 
ing elders presented interesting reports, only one of which is on 
file, that of J. H. Merritt, of the Southern District, who said: 

"Brother Rippetoe left Akron after the first quarter, and 
Brother W. J. Judd, of the Wyoming Conference, followed him 
there. The pastor at Castle Rock, B. F. Todd, asked to be re- 
lieved, and left for South Kansas, on account of health. H. R. 
Calkins supplied his place. J. R. Shannon began at Grace 
Church, Denver, September 10, 1891. Trinity was supplied by 
Chancellor McDowell for six months, before Robert Mclntyre 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



549 



came. Lamar was served by W. I. Taylor, of the North Indiana 
Conference. Las Animas was supplied by E. F. A. Bittner for 
nearly three months, when Fred T. Krueger took the charge, and 
did good work. Frank L. L. Hiller has organized a Church in 
East Pueblo. Trinidad Circuit was supplied by J. V. Watson; 
Yuma and Wray by Tilmon F. Jenkins for three months, when 
his brother-in-law, J. N. Norviel, took his place. A frame church, 
28 x 40, was dedicated April 3, 1892, at Coal Creek, near Flor- 
ence. St. James, Denver, a new building, 60 x 76, with basement 
and seating capacity for six hundred, was opened by Bishop 
Warren. The society at Grant Avenue has built the wing of a 
church. William Pleisted, a supernumerary of the Des Moines 
Conference, has taken down the former parsonage at Trinidad, 
and built a larger one, without expense to the society, at a cost 
to himself of about $3,000. Rocky Ford has built a brick church, 
32 x 60, costing $3,000. The Church at Canon City has pur- 
chased lots for a new building. Sunday-schools have been estab- 
lished at Fremont and Cripple Creek. The university has been 
removed to the 'Park/ The Uiff School of Theology opened 
last fall." 

"Father Dyer" first proclaimed the gospel in Cripple Creek 
in 1890, when the camp began to attract attention. In February, 
1891, Rev. C. B. Montfort erected a one-room house, for a dwell- 
ing and carpenter-shop for himself. In this building he soon 
after organized a society and Sunday-school. The next year he 
was returned here by Conference appointment. July 27, 1892, 
D. L. Rader, presiding elder, with J. M. Hawkins, secretary, held 
the first Quarterly Conference. In April, 1893, Rev. Co Brad- 
ford accepted the appointment as pastor until the following Con- 
ference session. The succeeding pastors have been: D. Leppert, 
from June, 1893, to November, 1893; A. B. Conwell, from No- 
vember, 1893, to June, 1894; M. A. Rader, from June, 1894, to 
June, 1895; John A. Long, from June 28, 1895, to August, 1896; 
and J. C. Horn, 1896, who is earnestly pushing the Master's work 
there. 

In 1893 the society moved from the hall, where the services 
had been held, into a tent, on First Street, near Bennett Avenue. 
Under the pastorate of M. A. Rader, a church was erected on the 




TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, DENVER, COLORADO. 

55° 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



551 



corner of First Street and Carr Avenue. The main auditorium 
was 30 x 50, with a wing, 18 x 30, and was heated by furnace 
and lighted by electricity. A single-room parsonage was also 
built by the Church. This was afterward enlarged into a com- 
fortable home for the pastor. The society numbered, April 2, 
1896, 113, including 7 probationers. They have a flourishing 
Sunday-school and a vigorous Epworth League. This church 
property was burned in the great fire of May, 1896. The society- 
is now planning to build again. 

The bishop reported the laying of the corner-stone of the 
Iliff School of Theology. A vote of thanks, by rising, was ex- 
tended to Mrs. Elizabeth Iliff Warren, for giving the use of her 
valuable home in Denver for the Deaconess work, for a Home 
and Hospital. 

A new society was organized at Fort Morgan, by Presiding 
Elder Vincent, December 18, 1892, with twenty-five members. 
For the next eight months Professors Stroeter, VanPelt, and 
Steele, of the University of Denver, preached for them as acting 
pastors; the latter most of the time until August, 1893, when 
J. R. Sasseen, from the Missouri Conference, was appointed their 
pastor, and found things all ready for the erection of a church. 
On the 14th of October following, the corner-stone was laid, and 
in May, 1894, the society moved into the new structure, which 
had cost about $3,000, with no indebtedness, save $250 to the 
Church Extension Society. In June, 1894, A. B. Glockner was 
appointed pastor, and in 1895-6, H. D. Seckner. A Sunday- 
school was organized on Christmas-day, 1892. This society is 
in a thriving condition. 

The following gains and losses in Conference membership 
are noted: 

Ten were transferred into the Conference, and nine out of it; 
nine were admitted on trial. 
The transfers in, were: 

F. S. Beggs, from the St. Louis Conference, who had been 
supplying Central City, to which he was returned; at St. James, 
Denver, 1893; was transferred to the St. Louis Conference in 
1894, but accepted work at Evanston, Wyoming Mission, 



552 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Brother Beggs is above the average as a preacher, and succeeds 
admirably. 

U. Z. Gilmer, from the Upper Iowa Conference, who had 
supplied Asbury, Denver, was returned; was transferred to the 
Illinois Conference in 1894. He preaches the gospel earnestly 
and efficiently. 

W. R. Ashby, from the Indiana Conference; at Gunnison, 
1892-3; Aspen Junction (now Basalt) 1894-5; left without appoint- 
ment to attend school, 1896. The people enjoy his preaching, 
and he has left a good record on the charges served. The Church 
has reason to expect a useful future in his history. 

S. V. Leach, from the California Conference; First Church, 
Pueblo, one year; named as professor in Iliff School of Theology, 
one year, and then was transferred to the North Indiana Confer- 
ence, 1895. He is considered a very able man in the pulpit, or 
out of it, with tongue or pen. 

A. K. Stabler, a probationer from the Cincinnati Confer- 
ence; was sent to Cameron Memorial, Denver; returned in 1893, 
and ordained deacon by Bishop Warren in his own church, he 
not being at the Conference session : at La Junta, 1894; left with- 
out an appointment in 1895-6 to attend school. His record here 
as a preacher justifies the hope that his future will be successful. 

H. R. Calkins, a probationer, from the Rock River Confer- 
ence, Illinois; was returned to Castle Rock, where his devoted 
companion died, March 27, 1893; assistant missionary of Hay- 
market Mission, Denver, 1893; was transferred to his former 
Conference in 1894. He is a devoted minister of Jesus Christ. 

Robert McIntyre was born in Selkirk, Scotland, November 
20, 185 1 ; came with his parents to America in 1858, and settled 
in Philadelphia, Pa., where he learned the bricklayer's trade. 
He helped to rebuild Chicago after the great fire. He was con- 
victed of sin and converted under the influence of a sermon 
preached by Dr. J. W. Bushong in a Southern Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, in St. Louis, Mo., February, 1876. What seems 
strange about this is, that it was the only sermon preached by 
Dr. Bushong in that church, and the first time the subject of this 
sketch had attended services there. Surely God was superintend- 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



553 



ing, unseen, the affairs of men. Previously he claimed to be an 
unbeliever in the Christian religion, — a doubter, — but when God 
sent a dart of truth through his soul, he soon cried like Peter, 
when sinking in the waters of Galilee, "Lord, save me," and so 
earnestly did he plead that he was saved. With Job he could say, 
"I know that my Redeemer liveth," and blessed be God he is saved 
yet! He says, "That is one of the things that I do know." He 
entered the Illinois Conference in 1877, where he remained eleven 
years, doing the 
hard work of an 
itinerant preacher. 

three 
Grace 



He was 
years at 
Church, 
and five 
Trinity, 
Colorado 
transferred back 
to the Rock River 
Conference i n 
and assumed 



Chicago, 
years at 
Denver, 
He was 




ROBERT MdNTYRE. 



the pastorate of a 
new church in the 
city of Chicago. 

He is loyal to 
the authorities of 
the Church, going 
where he is sent, 
preaching the doc- 
trines of the Bible as taught by the fathers, for the salvation of 
men. The truths which saved him he proclaims to others with- 
out fear or favor. 

He has traveled extensively in foreign lands, and freely uses 
the knowledge gained, in the pulpit and on the platform. He is 
a wonderfully entertaining preacher and captivating lecturer; 
has few equals in the pulpit or on the platform. His pastorate 
of the Trinity Church was eminently successful, and he is held in 
loving remembrance by his former parishioners and Conference 
associates. 



554 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



God be with him and all of Christ's ambassadors until the end 
comes, is the prayer of the writer! 

The University of Denver, in 1894, gave him the honorary 
degree of D. D. 



John R. Shannon, from the Cincinnati Conference, was born 
at Hillsboro, Ohio, June 17, 1857; converted when young; gradu- 
ated from the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1878, and received 
the degree of A. M. therefrom in 1880; also the same degree from 

the Syracuse University, New 
York, in 1889, and Ph. D. also 
from the above-named institution 
in 189O0 The University of Den- 
ver conferred on him the degree 
of D. D. in 1894. He entered the 
Cincinnati Conference in 1878. 
He was married to Miss Jennie 
McCord, of Oxford, Ohio, April 
9, 1884. Was transferred and ap- 
pointed to Trinity Church. Louis- 
ville, Ky., in 1885; was transferred 
back to Ohio, and appointed to a 
pastorate in Springfield, in 1888, 
where he remained until 1891, 
when he was transferred to Colo- 
rado, and appointed to Grace 
Church, Denver. In this field he 
remained the full five-year term. At the session of 1896 he took 
a supernumerary relation. Pie is now in Europe, for the pur- 
pose of pursuing an advanced course of study. 

Brother Shannon is an excellent scholar, a very instructive 
preacher, and fills acceptably the pastorates to which he is as- 
signed. 




JOHN R. SHANNON. 



Those received on trial were: 

W. Arthur Noble, who was elected to deacon's and elder's 
orders, under the missionary rule, and sent as missionary to 
Korea. 



THE THIRD DECADE. 



555 



Samuel J. Rogers, appointed to Poncha Springs; then a 
missionary in Wyoming in 1893-5; left without appointment to 
attend school in 1896. He was ordained deacon, under the mis- 
sionary rule, in 1893. 

C. H. Stevenson; Alamosa and La Jara, 1892; Meeker, 1893; 
was transferred to the Northwest Kansas Conference, 1894. 

Daniel B. Vossellor; returned to Julesburg, which he had 
served as a "supply;" Sterling, 1893; Loveland, 1894-5; Long- 
mont, 1896. Though a giant in stature, he is in feeble health. 
He is an able, earnest preacher of the word of life. 

Charles W. Harned; Highlands, Denver, 1892; Central 
City, 1893-4; Idaho Springs, 1895-6. He succeeds well as a pas- 
tor and preacher, and will do more and more good in the blessed 
work of the Master as the years roll on. 

Sherwood A. Webber was born in Van Wert, Ohio, but 
grew to man's estate in Penfield, where he was converted Janu- 
ary 16, 1880; came to Colorado in 1887, and taught the Brown- 
ville school, above Silver Plume, for three years, making ten 
years of teaching. He was married to Miss Mary Grace Tregon- 
ning, of Silver Plume, June 3, 1890. In June, 1891, he was 
licensed to preach by the Grand Junction Quarterly Conference, 
and placed in charge of Fruita Circuit as a supply; was placed at 
Aspen Junction Circuit, 1892-3; Breckenridge, 1894; Mosca and 
La Jara, 1895-6, where he has had a blessed work of grace, re- 
sulting in the conversion of sinners and upbuilding of believers. 
He is making a good record as an "ambassador" for the Master, 
and has promise of a very useful future. 

William John was born in South Wales, England, in 1847; 
came with his parents to the United States in 1861. The voyage 
was remarkable, in that they started in the Great Eastern, which 
became disabled, and returned to East Liverpool; thence they 
sailed in the Norwegian to Quebec, Canada, from which place 
they went direct to New York, and then to Pennsylvania. For 
a short time he supplied works in the Philadelphia Conference. 
He reached Denver, Colorado, November 5, 1888, and engaged 
in business for a time. He then supplied Sterling a part of two 
years; was admitted into full connection, 1896. He has just 



556 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



closed five years' time at Rockvale, where he did good work in 
the name of the Lord. In 1896 he was sent to South Park Cir- 
cuit. Brother John is a faithful pastor, and so preaches the Word 
as to attract the people to his services. He is a good man, and 
greatly beloved. 



The following were ordained as elders: Tilmon Jenkins, Mc- 
Kendree A. Casey, William E. Bailey; and as deacons, Charles 
C. P. Hiller, Edgar White, Harvey R. Calkins, Charles W. Huett, 

Fred T. Krueger, John Brunton, 
and David S. Gray. 

Fourteen men were employed 
as "supplies" on the different 
charges, many of which were new, 
and furnished only a very meager 
support. Among those thus en- 
gaged, not mentioned elsewhere, 
were: 

Hknry Harpst, who began 
preaching at Pagosa Springs, 
1892. In September, 1893, he vis- 
ited his son at Hotchkiss, which is 
located in the Valley of the North 
Fork of the Gunnison, in Delta 
County. Here he found a region, 
wiujam johx. sixty miles by twenty, without a 

minister, church, or Sunday- 
school, except a small one taught by a young lady on Rogers's 
Mesa. 

On the first Sabbath in October he organized a Methodist 
Episcopal Sunday-school at Hotchkiss, and soon after another at 
Paonia. He began preaching at once at several points, but 
principally at the above-mentioned places. The first Sabbath in 
April following, he organized the first society in this valley, at 
Hotchkiss, with three members. Not long after, another at 
Paonia. God blessed his labors. At the Conference session in 
1895 he reported 76 members and 22 probationers; 2 Sunday- 




THE THIRD DECADE. 



557 



schools, with 16 officers and teachers, and 150 scholars; 2 par- 
sonages, 1 valued at $850, and the other at $150. 

The "North Fork Circuit" was formed in 1895, to which Rev. 
J. W. Martin was sent. God crowned his labors with success in 
the conversion of sinners and sanctification of believers. 

Other places were supplied as below: Ridgeway and Dallas, 
Fred L. Davis; Cripple Creek, J. H. Montfort; Pleasant Prairie, 
A. H. Miller; Jamestown, H. B. Kenny; Henderson, F. A. Law- 
son; Burlington and Lansing, J. W. Mills; Yuma and Wray, J. N. 
Norviel. 

The Third Decade of the Conference history closed with 80 
churches, valued at $999,175; 44 parsonages, valued at $95,625; 
153 ministers, and 14 supplies; 8,835 members; 1,062 proba- 
tioners; 92 local preachers; 116 Sunday-schools, having 1,628 
officers and teachers, and 13,018 scholars of all ages. Collected 
for Missions, $10,233. This makes an increase, in ten years, of 
95 ministers and 7 supplies; 37 church-buildings, and 13 parson- 
ages; 5,221 members, 687 probationers, and 51 local preachers; 
also of 58 Sunday-schools and 920 officers and teachers, and 
6,828 scholars of all ages; $6,552 for Missions, which includes 
all collected for the Parent Society, and the Woman's Home and 
Foreign Societies. Besides, during these ten years large amounts 
were given to the University of Denver. 

Consider the facts here made manifest: Think of it! Thirty- 
six years ago there was but one preacher in all this region, and 
not a Church or Sunday-school. Thirty years ago the Confer- 
ence was organized, with only four members, in a carpenter-shop 
on the west bank of Cherry Creek, at the base of these moun- 
tains. The following are the names of this little band: John L. 
Dyer, B. C. Dennis, W. H. Fisher, William Howbert, and two 
probationers, O. A. Willard and Charles King. The supplies 
had been: A. P. Allen, G. S. Allen, William Antes, and T. R. 
Kendal. When that first Conference adjourned, nine men went 
forth to cry, "Behold! behold the Lamb!" Now, when less than 
one generation has passed, over one hundred men stand in Colo- 
rado pulpits, proclaiming a free and a full salvation. Surely, 
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, 
leads on to fortune." To God belongs all the glory. Amen! 



XVII. 



PERSONAL HISTORY. — CONCLUDED. 

In 1883 I was sent to St. James and Beckwourth Street, Den- 
ver. This arrangement of the charge lasted only for one year, 
when Beckwourth (now Fifth Avenue) was attached to the Simp- 
son Mission, and St. James became, as formerly, a separate 
charge. Two years of hard work were spent here, which were 
attended with a blessed revival near its close, in which fifty souls 
were saved. E. F. Miller did efficient work, as a singing evan- 
gelist, in this meeting. We had a very prosperous Sunday- 
school, under the able superintendent of Alfred Wolff, Esq. 
Many incidents of deep interest occurred in connection with this 
pastorate. I will mention but one. 

A deathbed scene will not soon be forgotten. It was that of 
a wife and mother. To visit that suffering one was a benediction, 
especially during the last days of her earthly pilgrimage. For 
days she seemed to dwell in the border-land. The Divine "She- 
kinah" filled the room. She was permitted to gaze within the 
pearly gates, and converse with the loved ones who had gone 
before, and to hear the ''unspeakable" things! How she longed 
to depart and dwell with Jesus! Yet she lingered, to the great 
joy of all who visited her. Her face beamed with a heavenly radi- 
ance. Mrs. Brook, the sister alluded to, closed her earthly career 
full of joy and hope, February 6, 1884. 

Our next appointment was Platteville, which had three 
preaching places — Platteville, Lupton, and Fleming's School- 
house on the St. Vrain. 

The history of the Churches in this vicinity is of thrilling in- 
terest. O. P. McMains was sent to the Burlington Circuit in 
1865. This was a small village, situated on the south bank of the 
St. Vrain Creek, about a half-mile south of the present town of 
Longmont, and was also a stage station, where the horses were 

558 



PERSONAL HISTOR Y. — CONCL UDED. 



559 



exchanged on the line of coaches. While on this charge he 
preached regularly at, or near, Fort Lupton, and in a small log 
schoolhouse just back of the present residence of the Hon. F. Wo 
Hammitt, in Platteville. The "Platte River" Circuit had no 
regular pastor from 1866 to 1869, when Gay S. Allen, a local 
preacher of ability, was appointed thereto. He stirred things. 
At Fort Lupton he had quite a revival, and organized a small 
class. This society was the beginning of the present prosperous 
Church in that place. 

George Wallace was sent as the next preacher for this valley, 
and in 1872 the veteran, John L. Dyer, followed him, and re- 
mained two years. Then came the writer, with John L, Moffitt 
as assistant pastor, having a charge that covered the valleys of 
the Platte, St. Vrain, Boulder, Coal Creek, and Left Hand. After 
this the charge included only the part of the Platte Valley lying 
north of Denver and the lower St. Vrain. These were followed 
in the pastorate by F. C. Booth, 1875; E. C. Dodge, 1876. It was 
first called Platteville Circuit in 1877, with John Collins pastor. 
He was followed by A. N. Field, who started and secured the in- 
closure of the Fort Lupton Church, on ground partly donated by 
Ex-Governor Evans. H. L. Beardsley served the charge in 
1879-80. He had the new Lupton church plastered and supplied 
with temporary seats and furniture; raised the funds, bought, 
paid for, and fitted up the first parsonage at Platteville, which 
made a comfortable home for the pastors for seven years. The 
next two years B. B. Dundass was pastor, and by a great effort 
on his part and that of the people, built the church in Platteville, 
with the assistance of a loan of $500 from the Church Extension 
Society. Then came the faithful laborer, W. H. Greene, for two 
years, when the writer followed for four years, 1885-9. 

About a year after becoming settled in Platteville, my heart 
became specially burdened for souls, and I longed to see a sweep- 
ing revival. For this I prayed day and night; but a leader of the 
music was greatly needed. Where was he to come from? My 
cry was, "O God, send us a singer!" How strangely God an- 
swered that prayer! On the last Wednesday evening of Novem- 
ber, just after the prayer-meeting began, there walked into the 
church a tall, light-complexioned, intelligent-looking man, who 
36 



5 6 ° 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



wore glasses, and was dressed in a corduroy suit. He took a 
seat close up to those present, though a stranger to all. He sang 
when others sang, and kneeled when others kneeled. Near the 
close I invited him to speak a word for Jesus. He arose, and told 
in a very humble manner of a wonderful baptism of the Holy 
Spirit which had come upon him a month before at the People's 
Tabernacle, in Denver, under the labors of Mrs. Jennie F. Will- 
ing, and further expressed a desire to do something for the 
Master. At the close of the meeting I invited him to call at the 
parsonage at nine o'clock the next morning. He was on time 
promptly. An interesting conversation ensued until dinner was 
ready. He gave me his name and address, and stated that he 
was a member of the Twenty-third Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
Denver. Business called him away that same afternoon. I said 
to him when leaving, ''Perhaps God wants you to help me in my 
meetings." Days, weeks, and a month passed by; and I could 
not keep that singer in Denver out of my mind; but I queried 
whether a staunch Presbyterian could adapt himself to Meth- 
odist usages in a protracted-meeting. I felt that I wanted him 
to come, yet I hesitated about writing for him to do so, for fear 
it might be a mistake. I kept praying that a singer might be 
sent. Finally the burden became so heavy I decided to begin, 
using our home talent, unless God should send me some one. 
Twice I seated myself to write for him to come on at once, but 
each time my pen fell from my hand, as something seemed to 
say to me, "Do not write. God will provide." I could write on 
other subjects, but not on this. There were' no apparent indica- 
tions of a revival; yet I could not rest until an effort was made. 
I was anxious for the fray; hence meetings were begun December 
27, 1886. For some time I had had the impression that God 
would give me at least one hundred souls that Conference year. 
The fourth night of the meeting, as T arose to announce the open- 
ing hymn, who should walk into the Church but that tall man 

in the "corduroy suit." I at once said, "Brother* W , please 

come forward to the organ, and lead the singing." He complied, 
and the congregation was delighted. During the next thirty- 
three days he remained nearly all the time, singing, praying, and 
testifying, as the Spirit gave him utterance. His days were prin- 



PERSONAL HISTORY. — CONCLUDED. 



561 



cipally spent in visiting from house to house, and praying with 
the people. About thirty souls were converted, and a few were 
sanctified. 

At Fort Lupton death and removals had depleted the mem- 
bership until only eight remained. Two of these lived so far 
away, that they never got to Church. Two others were elderly 
people, who could seldom attend. Two more were invalids. An- 
other lived seven miles out, and was necessarily not there very 
often. Only one, a sister, was regular in her attendance; b e ut she 
was never known to take any part in public meetings. This was 
the condition of things there at that time. The meetings were 
begun February 6, 1887. The congregations were good from the 
very start. Mrs. Rufus Reynolds led the singing. There were 
nine seekers at the altar at the first call, and none to pray for 
them but the pastor. It was then that I learned what it meant to 
lean wholly on God for help, as never before under such circum- 
stances. There were no helpers, except in the music. After the 
first week, O. L. Ramsey, a zealous worker and singer, came 
down from Denver to assist. For nearly two weeks he did good 
through his singing and exhortations, when he left. 

Rev. D. L. Rader, at the earnest solicitation of personal 
friends, came and preached five times, with excellent effect. 

Brother W , who had been at Evans helping Brother G. S. 

Oliver, the pastor, came, and was a great help during the last 
two weeks of the meeting. God gave us blessed results. About 
seventy souls were converted, nearly all heads of families. The 
meetings closed March 6th. A few days before that date, that 
tall brother joined the itinerant host, under the tutorship of 
N. A. Chamberlain, presiding elder, where he has remained most 
of the time since. He is now known as the Rev, John R. Wood. 

Three or four months before the revival at Lupton, a young 
man, living seven miles away, mounted an unbroken "broncho" 
one Sabbath, and rode over to Church, "just for the fun of the 
thing." This was a very unusual course for him. One was just 
about as wild as the other. The services were begun when he 
entered and took a back seat. I saw that he was a stranger, and 
felt drawn toward him during the entire discourse. God sent 
the truth to his heart so deeply, that he never got rid of it until 



562 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



he was converted, which took place during the third week of the 
above-mentioned meeting. Brother Wood was the immediate 
means of helping him into the gospel light, when he bowed the 
knee as a seeker of salvation. For years this young man has 
been attending school at the University of Denver, and preaching 
the gospel at the same time, graduating therefrom. His name is 
Charles W. Huett, now a missionary in Japan. 

As soon as he was "born of the Spirit," he (and others) in- 
sisted on my going over to the mouth of the "Big Dry" (near 
where his parents resided), and holding a meeting there, where no 
religious service of any kind had ever been held. This meeting 
began March 14th, and ended April 4th. Nearly thirty souls 
were saved. The result was, a class and Sunday-school were 
organized, and subsequently a neat little church erected. An- 
other whom the meetings helped into the light of "the Son of 
God," was a youth by the name of Frank Shea, who is now an 
active worker for the Master, teaching in the Sunday-school, or 
preaching the gospel every Sabbath. 

At the close of this Conference year Lupton was made a sepa- 
rate charge, with three appointments — Lupton, Big Dry, and 
Barr. The first service held in the latter place was by the writer, 
June 27, 1886, in the waiting-room of the Burlington & Mis- 
souri Railroad, of which my brother, G. L. Beardsley, was the 
agent. The text used was John xx, 27. There were twenty per- 
sons present. The pastors at Lupton, since the separation, have 
been: Kent White, W. A. McElphatrick, S. A. Winsor; J. W. 
Flesher, who built a five-room brick parsonage; A. L. Chase, 
Jacob R. Rader; C. A. Brooks, 1896. 

Late in the summer of 1887, the first parsonage in Platteville 
was sold, and a six-room brick one built beside the church under 
the direction of the writer, and paid for. The late H. B. Chamber- 
lain, Esq., formerly of Denver, gave $200, which was applied on 
the erection of the kitchen. Following this, the Platteville pastors 
were: B. F. Todd, 1889-90; Thomas Andrew, 1891-2; H. L. 
Beardsley, 1893-5; A. B. Glockner, 1896. 

Arvada. — A six-room parsonage was begun here by the 
pastor, H. L. Beardsley, in 1881, and completed by him in 1882, 



PERSONAL HISTORY. — CONCLUDED. 



563 



all paid for. During its construction he gave his time almost 
wholly to this, raising the funds and doing most of the work. 

The writer was sent to Arvada in 1889, where he found two 
active members. There were two outside appointments, Black's 
and the Ralston Crossing, which were filled every two weeks. 
At Arvada the preaching and Sunday-school services were held 
in the Grange and Good Templars' Hall. In the summer of 1890 
a church enterprise was begun by the writer, assisted by Bishop 
Warren. The cellar was dug, foundation laid, most of the funds 
provided for, and contracts for material talked over; but he was 
not permitted to finish it, being sent elsewhere. My successor, 
J. F. White, completed the building. B. F. Wadsworth gave the 
ground and a liberal subscription; besides, other friends helped 
liberally, and a beautiful house of worship is the result. This year 
was a very pleasant one, and the congregations good. No fixed 
allowance was made; yet the people gave us a comfortable sup- 
port. 

The pastors here, or serving here in connection with other 
points, have been: G. W. Swift, H. J. Shaffner, Gay S. Allen, 
N. S. Buckner, R. H. Rhodes, John Stocks, W. H. Gillam, C. S. 
Uzzell, C. L. Libby, H. M. Law, H. L. Beardsley, A. W. Coff- 
man, A. D. Hammitt, II. L. Wriston, J. R. Rader, I. H. Beards- 
ley, J. F. White, R. M. Barns; J. H. Merritt, 1894-6. 

In 1890 I was sent to Loveland, where there was a good soci- 
ety, church, and parsonage, with a small debt on the property. 
The Lord gave us good audiences, and some additions to the 
Church. The people had a very warm place in our hearts. In 
October of that year the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order 
of Good Templars, of Colorado, elected the w T riter to represent it 
in the Supreme Lodge of the World, which was to meet in May, 
1891, at Edinburgh, Scotland. This necessitated my leaving the 
last of April for New York, so as to sail on the Servia the 9th oi 
May, at six o'clock A. M. After a very pleasant passage of eight 
days, we landed at Queenstown, Ireland, at one o'clock A. M. of 
May 17th. A brief run through Ireland, visiting Cork, Blarney 
Castle, Dublin, Belfast, and many other historic points, was full 
of interest. Then we crossed the Irish Channel, and landed at 



564 ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 

Stranraer, Scotland. While standing on the pier waiting for my 
traveling companion, a medium-sized, pleasant-looking gentle- 
man expressed great concern as to what the young people of 
Ireland were to do, since the Government positions were all full, 
and there was little or no employment at home. Looking him 
squarely in the face, with great soberness I remarked, "In our 
country, when there is an overproduction we stop the manufac- 
ture. If you do that in Ireland, the problem will be solved." 
He looked at me in amazement, wondering just what was meant, 
when I repeated the above statement. He stared at me to see if 
I really meant what I said, when he saw that I seemed deeply in 
earnest, he threw both arms above his head, exclaiming, "Impos- 
sible! Impossible!" roaring in laughter. 

Then followed a visit to Ayr, Glasgow, the lakes and High- 
lands of Scotland. A week was spent in attending to the business 
of the Order in Edinburgh. The many sights of interest here 
were not overlooked, though we had seen them all nineteen 
years before. 

I will mention a few of the places visited in England: London 
and many of its attractions, though most of my time was spent 
in the library of the British Museum; Stratford-on-Avon ; Ep- 
worth, where John Wesley was born and reared; St. Albans, from 
whence the writer's ancestor emigrated, in 1635, with his family, 
to New England. 

Crossed the English Channel to Boulogne, France, and sailed 
on the Rotterdam, reaching New York early in July. 

While pastor at Loveland, I enlarged my "essay" on "The 
True Sabbath," which the Northern District Conference had 
previously requested published. The manuscript had been sent 
off, before leaving for Scotland, to the publishers, and arrange- 
ments made for its publication in book form. On my westward 
journey I stopped at different places, that I might visit friends 
and former associates, here and there, en route. September found 
me with relatives and boyhood friends in Illinois. 

On the 6th day of September, 1891, I received, by mail, at. 
Altona, Illinois, the first copy of my little book, called, "The 
True Sabbath." My feelings can be better imagined than de- 
scribed, as I gazed upon this work for the first time. It had cost 



PERSONAL HISTOR Y. — CONCL UDED. 



5&5 



me so much thought and research that somehow it had become 
a part of myself. Having secured a supply of the books, I visited 
in succession the "Central Illinois," "Des Moines," "Nebraska," 
and "West Nebraska" Conferences, where I sold nearly two hun- 
dred and fifty copies. These Conference sessions over, I hastened 
on homeward. 

On reaching Denver, the first week in October, I was engaged 
at once to enter upon a lecturing tour, in behalf of the Independ- 
ent Order of Good Templars, through New Mexico, Southern 




LOVELAND METHODIST EPISCOPAL, CHURCH AND PARSONAGE. 



and Western Colorado, which I did, returning to Denver the last 
night of the old year. 

At the opening of the new year, I entered upon evangelistic 
work in the "City Missions" of Denver, and continued in this 
until the Conference session in June, 1892. 

This closed twenty-three years of work in connection with 
the Colorado Conference, and forty years since my first text was 
taken, April 18, 1852. A year's rest had not restored me. to my 
usual health, so that in 1893, the Conference, at my own request, 
placed me on the superannuated list. My nervous system is 
shattered and hearing affected, so that I am unable longer for 
active work in the ministry. 



XVIII. 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1893-4-5-6, 
AND GENERAL SUMMARIES. 

1893. — The thirty-first session of the Colorado Annual Con- 
ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was held in Trinidad, 
Colorado, from June 8th to 12th, by Bishop H. W. Warren, D. D., 
in the place of Bishop R. S. Foster, who had been unexpectedly 
assigned to visit the foreign missions. This was his second 
presidency of the Conference, to which he was welcomed by 
appropriate resolutions, and it is needless to say that he gave 
general satisfaction. 

None of the presiding elders' reports are on file. Forty-five 
were transferred away from us; thirty of these were to the New 
Mexico Spanish Mission, including the well-known superin- 
tendent, Rev. Thomas Harwood, D. D.; one had died, and three 
located. Sixteen were transferred into the Conference, one was 
received on credentials, and three were admitted on trial. These 
changes made a decrease of twenty-nine, counting the proba- 
tioners, in the Conference membership. The transfers were: 

Claudius B. Spenckr, from the Detroit Conference; was 
born in Livingston County, Michigan, in 1856. He completed 
the high school course at Howell, Mich., and went immediately to 
the Northwestern University, at Evanston, Illinois, from which 
he graduated, w T ith high honor, in 1881. He has decided literary 
tastes and qualifications, and has been honored with the degree 
of D. D. 

After serving two years as pastor in the mining districts of 
Lake Superior, he was sent to the Haven Methodist Episcopal 
Church, Detroit; three years later to Lincoln Avenue. Next he 
was sent, by his own request, with his bride, to Owosso. In 1890 
he was returned to Detroit, as pastor of the Preston Church, and 
two years later entered on the pastorate of Christ Church, Den- 
ver, Colorado; was appointed to Asbury in 1895-6. He was 

566 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893-4-5-6. 



567 



elected by the Commission, and confirmed by the Book Com- 
mittee, editor of the Rocky Mountain Christian Advocate in 1892; 
but served only for a short period, as the paper was soon dis- 
continued. The few numbers issued under his supervision 
showed, however, marked ability in editorial work. 

The General Conference, at its session in 1896, having author- 
ized the re-establishing of a paper in Denver, assisted by a liberal 
subsidy from the Book Concern, the Conference appointed a 
Publishing Commission, which has started the paper on a sub- 
stantial basis, with Brother Spencer as its editor. Since accept- 
ing this, he has resigned his Asbury pastorate, and is giving his 
whole time to this new 
work. Brother Spen- 
cer is an attractive 
preacher, a popular lec- 
turer, and is showing 
editorial ability 
scarcely second to any 
in the Church. 

He was also one of 
the founders of the Ep- 
worth League, which 
is having such a won- 
derful development . 
among the young peo- 
ple of the Church all 
over this land. This 
society was organized 
in Clevleand, Ohio, May, 
1,250,000 members. 




CLAUDIUS B. SPENCER. 



and now has 18,379 Chapters, and 



W. E. CoLivETT, from the Central Ohio Conference; Holyoke, 
1893-4; La Junta, 1895-6. Brother Collett is making a commend- 
able record as a loving pastor, an able preacher, and careful man- 
ager of Church interests. 

C. D. Day, from the North Nebraska Conference; Castle 
Rock, 1893; Wyoming Mission, 1894-6. He is a young man of 
promise, and is doing valuable work. 



568 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Samuel H. Kirkbride, from the Troy Conference, was sta- 
tioned at Florence, 1893-6. Brother Kirkbride is "a workman 
that needeth not to be ashamed," and is a valuable acquisition 
to the Conference. 

William Plested, a supernumerary, from the Des Moines 
Conference, who died in great peace, July 1, 1893, at his home in 
Trinidad, Colorado. 

Columbus Bradford, from the St. Louis Conference; Mani- 
tou, 1893; Aspen, 1894; left without appointment in 1895 to at- 



abroad with his family to pursue his studies in Europe, making 
an extended tour in the Orient in 1892. 

He was called that year to the chair of Biblical Literature in 
the IlifT School of Theology. He was married to Miss Rosa B. 
Wood, May 21, 1874. Four children have gladdened their home. 
Arthur, a loving son, just entering upon a promising young man- 
hood, was called to his eternal home May 17, 1896, mourned by 
all who knew him. A kick from a horse inflicted serious injury, 
and was the cause of his death. He lingered for a few days, was 
restored to consciousness, giving his last rational words to those 
he loved best. His memory is precious. Brother Steele is a 
consecrated Christian, a thoroughly evangelical preacher, and 




tend school; given a certificate 
of location in 1896. He is a 
good man and an excellent 
preacher. 



w. F. STEELE. 



Wilbur F. Steele, A. B., 
S. T. D., D. D., from the New 
England Southern Conference, 
was born in Massachusetts in 
185 1. His higher educational 
training was had at Syracuse 
and Boston, after which he en- 
gaged in the pastorate for eight 
years, and then in the educa- 
tional work of the Church for 
a like term. In 1889 he went 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1S93-4-5-6. 569 

an apt teacher; in fact, a good "all-around" publisher of the "Glad 
Tidings," whom any Conference might feel honored to have en- 
rolled among its list of members. 

John R. Van PeM, A. B., S. T. D., was born in Shelby 
County, Kentucky, November 10, 1862; converted early in life; 
graduated from the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1882; taught 
two years, and then entered the Boston School of Theology; 
spent the second theological school year at Garrett Biblical In- 
stitute, Evanston, Illinois ; graduated from the Boston University, 
Theological Department, in 1887. That fall he joined the Illinois 
Conference, filling pastorates for four years. In 1891 he went to 
Halle, Germany, and studied theology for one year. The fall of 
1892 found him professor of Systematic Theology in the Iliff 
School of Theology of the University of Denver, Colorado. The 
Boston University, in 1893, after 
examination, conferred on him 
the degree of Ph. D. He was 
married to Miss Ellen R., daugh- 
ter of Bishop H. W. Warren, 
December 27, 1893. He fills ac- 
ceptably the position to which he 
has been called in this new 
"School of the Prophets," and is 
making an excellent record as a 
scholarly professor and teacher. 

William I. Taylor; born in 
Warren County, Kentucky; edu- 
cated at Ray's Branch Seminary, 
Kentucky; DePauw University, 
Indiana; and Garrett Biblical In- 
stitute; converted in 1869; li- 
censed to preach in 1877; entered the Kentucky Conference in 
the fall of 1882; was transferred to the North Indiana Conference 
in 1886, and then to Colorado in 1893, having supplied Lamar for 
two years; at La Junta in 1893, where he had a good revival; 




57o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Cameron Memorial, Denver, 1894; and Georgetown, 1895-6. 
He is a thorough student, and an excellent preacher with a good 
record. 

Jacob T. Pender, from the Illinois Conference, was born in 
McLean County, Kentucky, October 24, 1849; converted at the 
age of fourteen, and called to preach a year later; worked on a 
farm for wages in the summer, and went to school in the winter, 
until he was able to take a collegiate course at Greenville, Ken- 
tucky; joined the Kentucky Conference in March, 1873; four 
years later was ordained elder by Bishop Bowman, having been 



then was transferred to the Illinois Conference. His last appoint- 
ment therein was Bement, where he built, without debt, a beau- 
tiful and commodious church, at a cost of $7,000. On account 
of failing health, he was transferred to Colorado, November 1, 
1892, and appointed to Simpson Church, Denver, where he re- 
mained one year and a half, when he was sent to Grant Avenue, 
Denver, 1894-5. In 1896 he was transferred to the Pittsburg 
Conference. He published the Methodist Helper, a live local 
paper, for three years. 




j. t. pendek. 



ordained deacon two years 
before. For seven years he 
traveled in that Conference, 
during the days of "Recon- 
struction." He suffered great 
persecutions, was mobbed 
twice by the "Kuklux," and 
often threatened by them, but 
never swerved from the line 
of duty one iota. Paducah 
was his last appointment 
there. In 1880 he was trans- 
ferred to the Southern Illinois 
Conference, where he served 
Enfield, McLeansboro, each 
two years; Mt. Carmel, three 
years; Lebanon, one year; and 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893-4-5-6. 



571 



Few men have taken hold more readily, or accomplished more 
in the brief time he was here, than the subject of this sketch. He 
is a good pastor and preacher, and had many calls from his 
brother pastors to assist in revival services and for lectures. His 
wife is the daughter of Rev. W. H. Hanner, of Kentucky. Seven 
children adorn their home. 

L. E. Kennedy, from the Southeast Indiana Conference. 
His record here reads: Rifle, 1893; supernumerary, 1894; Victor, 
1895, where a new church was built, 36 x 56, with a lecture-room 
16 x 32 feet, and the whole heated by a furnace. He took a certifi- 
cate of location in 1896. He is a man of more than ordinary 
ability, and has the elements of great usefulness. 

Rev. J. H. Scott and W. A. Sage were the founders of the 
society in Victor, which, at this writing, has a good church edifice 
and comfortable parsonage, though the society is less than two 
years old. 

S. B. Warner, from the Minnesota Conference, was sent to 
the First Church, Pueblo, to which he was returned in 1894-5, 
and then was transferred to the St. Louis Conference in 1896. 
He is a scholarly, spiritual, and able minister of the gospel, and 
made a good record here in a very hard field of labor. 

T. W. Jeeerey, from the Indiana Conference; Leadville, 

1893- 6, where he is very acceptable as a preacher and pastor. 
He is a "growing" young man, and promises much in the future. 

M. D. Hornbeck, from the Illinois Conference; Canon City, 
1893; Broadway, Pueblo, 1894-5; Boulder, 1896. He is an able 
preacher and efficient pastor. 

In the class received on trial are the names of: 

ChareES A. Edwards; Ordway in 1893; attended school in 

1894- 5; Eafayette, 1896. He has also worked in the "City Mis- 
sions" of Denver, and stands well among his associates. Is 
greatly beloved as pastor. 

ChareES W. BridwEEE; was born, July 25. 1872, in Ken- 
tucky, and converted at fifteen years of age; licensed to preach 
at seventeen; came to Colorado in 1889, and graduated from the 
University of Denver in 1893, with the degree of A. B.; united 



572 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



with the Conference the same year, and was sent to Black Hawk, 
1893-4; Holyoke, 1895; Pleasant View, 1896. 

At the holiness camp-meeting held in Herring's Grove, 
"Pleasant View," near Longmont, Colorado, July, 1894, he en- 
tered into the experience of "perfect love," since which time God 
has wonderfully blessed him in preaching the gospel. He has 
had, on different charges where he has served, a blessed work of 
grace, both within and without the Church. He is a worthy 
young man, well equipped for his life-work, and gives promise of 
a successful future. 

George B. F. Huene graduated from the University of Den- 
ver in 1894, and was appointed to Colorado City; Evans, 1895-6. 
His future is bright, and promises great usefulness. 

1894. — For the second time the Conference met in Boulder, 
June 7th to nth. Bishop S. M. Merrill, D. D., presided. The 
opening services were conducted by the bishop, assisted by others. 
The usual Conference business was completed in four working 
days. Owing to physical injuries, caused by being thrown from a 
wagon, the veteran, John L. Dyer, was absent, to the great regret 
of his many friends. 

During the previous week a severe flood, caused by an un- 
usual fall of snow and rain, had visited nearly every part of the 
State. The bridges had been swept away, the wagon and rail 
roads washed out, so that in many places travel was suspended for 
several days. The waters had been extremely high in the Boul- 
der Creek, and the town, as well as the roads, bore evidence of 
its destructive work. Members of the Conference, whose duties 
called them early to its place of meeting, went in on the first train 
reaching the town after the flood. Many could not get there until 
after the session had opened. Twenty-six "absentees" answered 
to their names on the second morning. On the whole, a pleasant 
and very enjoyable session was had. 

In the list of transfers were: 

Robert Sanderson was transferred from the South Kansas 
Conference, and appointed to Idaho Springs in 1893; returned in 
1894; Cameron Memorial, Denver, 1895; Fifth Avenue, Denver, 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893-4-5-6. 



573 



1896. He was born in Yorkshire, England, July 28, 1847; con- 
verted when ten years of age; licensed to preach at the age of 
sixteen; came to the United States, April, 1873, and joined the 
Vermont Conference in 1874; was transferred to the Ohio Con- 
ference in 1883, and to the Southwest Kansas Conference in 1886; 
thence to the South Kansas Conference in 1892, from which he 
came to Colorado a year later. He 
is a thorough pastor and an inter- 
esting preacher, and has tilled very 
acceptably the pastorates assigned 
him here. 

C. A. Crane:, from the Illinois 
Conference; was sent to Colorado 
Springs, 1894-6, where he had re- 
markable success in the work of 
the Lord. In May, 1897, he was 
transferred to Boston, and placed 
in charge of an important work 
there. 

Those received on trial were : 

Herbert W. H. Butler; 
Wray, 1894; Berkeley in 1895-6. 
He was born in Pensford, England, November 25, 1866; con- 
verted in Australia, October 7, 1885; licensed to preach three 
years after. He was married to Miss Ella Pain, August 24, 1893. 
They landed in New York, January 17, 1894, and seven days 
later reached the place of his first pastorate at Wray, Colorado; 
was ordained deacon at this session of the Conference. He is 
making a good record as a preacher and pastor here. Has a 
promising future. 

William E. Perry; Gunnison, 1894; Catlin, 1895; Del Norte, 
1896. He is a young man of promise, and is doing a good work. 

Henry Sutherlin; Meeker, 1894-5. This was an entirely 
new field when he went to it, but he succeeded in establishing 
a thriving society; was sent to Rockvale, 1896. 

H. L. Wriston was the first pastor at Hugo, 1885-7; Kent 
White, 1888; E. E. Allison, 1889-91. During his pastorate a 




574 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



small church was erected at Hugo. In 1892, Cheyenne Wells was 
attached, with Tilmon Jenkins the pastor, 1892-3. During the 
pastorate of O. L. Orton, 1894-5, a neat church was built at 
Cheyenne Wells; F. F. Post, 1896. 

A class of fourteen members was organized at Steamboat 
Springs, December 9, 1894, and a Sunday-school at the same 
time, by the pastor, F. G. Boylan. 

The church-building at Jimtown was reported washed away 
in the great flood mentioned and described in the opening of the 
present session. 

1895. — The members of the Colorado Annual Conference 
assembled for its thirty-third session in Trinity Church, Denver, 
June 6th, at nine o'clock A. M., the chairman, Bishop C. D. Foss, 
D. D., conducting the devotional exercises, and stimulating the 
Conference to seek the purest and highest attainments in the 
Divine life, through his encouraging words begotten of a rich 
personal experience. 

The business of the session was finished on the fifth day, when 
one hundred and twelve men, not counting the twenty-two sup- 
plies, went forth to do the work assigned them. 

The following were received into the Conference by transfer: 

John Columbia GueeETTE, from the Minnesota Conference; 
was born in Dearborn County, Indiana, January 7, 1848; lived 
with his father on the farm until nineteen years of age, attending 
school during the winter, and studying at other times, as oppor- 
tunity presented. He began teaching in the district where he 
was raised, and taught two terms at the unanimous request of the 
Board. He completed a college course, and graduated from 
Moores Hill College, Indiana, June 19, 1872. At the close of 
the Commencement exercises, he was married to Miss Hattie E. 
Sawdon, of Aurora, Indiana, also a member of the graduating 
class. Afterward he studied medicine, attending lectures at 
Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequently he took 
a post-graduate course in metaphysics, receiving degrees of A. M. 
in 1883, and that of Ph. D. in 1884, from the Illinois Wesleyan 
University, at Bloomington, Illinois. 



THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893-4.-5-6. 



575 



He united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1866; 
was licensed to preach in 1870; was a supernumerary from 1875 
to 1878; was transferred to Minnesota in March, 1883; resigned 
his charge, July, 1894, in St. Paul, Minn., and accepted the pas- 
torate of Montrose, Colorado; was sent to Salida in 1895, and 
to Loveland, 1896. His work here 
marks him as a good pastor, an 
interesting preacher, and a valu- 
able accession to the Conference. 

J. C. Horn, from the North- 
west Kansas Conference, was born 
in Butler County, Ohio, and came 
with his parents, when a small boy, 
to Illinois, where he attended the 
public schools. His advanced edu- 
cation was had at the Chillicothe 
Academy and at Lewis College, in 
Missouri, from which he received 
the degree of A. M. Twice he was 
professor in this last school, and 
finally its president. He was also 
president of the McGee College at 
a later period. He was married to Miss Jennie E. Wallace, of 
Chillicothe, Missouri, in 1874. He was converted in 1866, and 
received on trial in the Missouri Conference in 1876, where he 
did pastoral work for eight years, when he was sent as a mis- 
sionary to South America in 1884, returning in 1887. From 1890 
to 1893 he practiced law in Denver, Colorado. He re-entered the 
pastorate in the Northwest Kansas Conference in 1893, and was 
appointed to Lamar, Colorado, in 1895, and to Cripple Creek 
in 1896, where he is having good success. He has shown here 
the spirit of a true itinerant, and of the "workman" who always 
finds plenty to do, and does it. He is a man of fine ability. 

M. F. Sapp, from the Missouri Conference; was born in Owen 
County, Indiana, November 12, 1845. At five years of age he 
was left an orphan. His home, from that time until twenty-two 
37 




576 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



years of age, was with a family by the name of Barns. He was 
educated in the common schools of his State; was converted 
within a mile of where he was horn, at the Bethel Methodist 
Episcopal Church, February, 1863; received license to exhort 
in March, 1865; felt called to the ministry, but, like Jonah, fled, 
here and there, to escape from duty. February 1, 187 1, he was 
married to Miss Alverna D. Carey, of Pennsylvania. He was 
licensed as a local preacher in May, 1873. Again he rebelled, and 
fled to Arkansas, thinking the Lord would not trouble him there. 
While there he was pressed into a revival-meeting, where twenty 

souls were converted. In 1876 he 
returned to Northwest Missouri, 
and there consecrated all to God's 
service. In March, 1881, he joined 
the Missouri Annual Conference, 
and was ordained deacon by 
Bishop Warren in 1882, and elder 
by Bishop Fowler in 1885. His 
appointments were: Milton and 
Corning, Clearmont, Skidmore, 
Albany, and Bethany. While at 
this last place, engaged in build- 
ing a $10,000 church, his health 
gave way, near the middle of the 
third year, and he was compelled 
to seek a more congenial clime in 
Colorado. Dr. Rader, presiding 
elder, gave him Rocky Ford, 
which was reached August 8, 1894. Thence he was sent to Colo- 
rado City, 1895-6. He has since resigned this charge, and re- 
turned to his former Conference home. He is zealous in the 
service of the Master, and does good work wherever he goes. 
He was a very genial, manly brother in the gospel. He rests 
from his labors. 




M. F. SAPP. 



F. G. Boylan, from the Oklahoma Conference; Steamboat 
Springs, 1895, which was on the very "outpost of Zion." With- 



THE CONFERENCES OF lfyj-4-3-6. 



577 



drew from the ministry and Conference in 1896. He was a good 
man, and did noble battle for the Lord. 

W. R. Weaver, from the St. Louis Conference; Delta, 1895; 
Montrose, 1896. God is giving him power for his work, and 
causing him to have marked success in building up the cause of 
Christ. 

G. W. Irwin, from the Southwest Kansas Conference: Monte 
Vista, 1895; transferred back to his old Conference in 1896. 

John Joseph Post, a probationer, from the New York East 
Conference; was permitted to attend school; sent to Cheyenne 
Wells, 1896. He promises well for a successful minister of 
Christ. Graduated from the University of Denver in 1891, A. B. 

Thomas E. Sisson, from the California Conference; Castle 
Rock, 1894-5; Grand Junction, 1896. While at Castle Rock he 
pursued a course of study in the Ilirr" School of Theology, attend- 
ing to the work of his pastorate at the same time. He is a stu- 
dent, spiritual, apt in teaching as a preacher, and is making him- 
self felt as a power for good in building up the Church of Christ. 

Presiding Elder D. L. Rader reported that a church had been 
completed at Ordway, and another was begun by the society at 
Catlin. 

The following account of circuit work will be interesting: 
"Plateau Circuit. — Rev. F. L. Davis, a supply in charge, 
writes: 'The work of this charge is large, and demands a great 
amount of riding on the part of the pastor. It covers a beautiful 
valley, sixty miles in length. There is a population of two thou- 
sand people, with a Church membership of about fifty. I have, 
since the nth of July last, traveled 4,010 miles in the saddle, 
preached 390 sermons, held 62 cottage prayer-meetings, and 
made 506 visits. There are two Sunday-schools held in the 
valley the year round, and five during the summer months. We 
have just closed a series of meetings which continued seventy- 
eight nights, with blessed results. 

"This year seventeen have come into full membership, and 
we have had three conversions. There is preaching three times 
every Sunday, as a rule, in some part of the valley. We hold 
services at the following places: De Beque, Mesa, Bull Creek, 



578 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



Eagalite, Collbran, Hauxhurst, and Norman Mesa. There is a 
great work to be done here among the young people, there being 
over eight hundred under the age of twenty-one years. We hope 
next year to build a nice church in the Upper Plateau Valley 
near Eagelite and Collbran, and in the future one at Mesa." 
The following were admitted on trial: 

Lewis C. Thompson, who is doing missionary work in Wy- 
oming. 

O. L. Orton; sent to Cheyenne Wells, 1895, and to Littleton, 
1896. He has built successfully on the walls of Zion, and has a 
promising future before him. 

Fred T. Krueger; "supplied" several charges, and attended 
school at the university. He graduated therefrom in 1894, and 
from the Iliff School of Theology in 1897. He is laying a broad 
foundation upon which to build his ministerial character, and the 
Church has good reason to expect much from him. He was sent 
to Black Hawk, 1895-6. 

E. S. Holmes; Silver Plume, 1895; discontinued in 1896. 

J. W. Barnhart; Wet Mountain Valley, 1895-6, where, under 
God, he is making it "bud and blossom as the rose." He endures 
hardness as a good soldier, and conscientiously pursues his as- 
signed work. 

E. V. DuBois, sent as a missionary to New Mexico, where 
he remained only a short time, when he was transferred to the 
Des Moines Conference. In 1896 he was sent to Gunnison, and 
has since been transferred back to Colorado. He is a promising 
young man. 

Ora F. Merrill; Sheridan Lake, 1895-6, where he is sowing 
the seed of the kingdom faithfully and successfully. Pie is a con- 
secrated man, and will have a growing future. 

In 1894 the Colorado Springs Circuit was organized, with 
William A. Sage as the pastor. At the Conference of 1895 he re- 
ported eleven probationers, forty-seven members, and two 
churches, valued at two thousand dollars, three Sunday-schools, 
with twenty officers and teachers, and one hundred and five schol- 
ars of all ages. The name was changed at this session to Second 
Church of Colorado Springs, and Brother Sage continued for 
another vear. 



THE CONFERENCES OF 7S9J-J-5-6. 



579 



1896. — The thirty-fourth annual session of the Conference 
was held in Leadville, August 26th to 31st, with Bishop John H. 
Vincent, D. D., in the chair. This was its second meeting in this 
place, and is remarkable for its assembling during the great 
strike of 1896. Most of the mines were idle at the time, a ma- 
jority of the miners were without work, and business of all kinds 
greatly depressed; yet the good people opened their hearts and 
homes, and extended a cordial welcome to their visitors. The 
air was full of exciting rumors, and more or less of apprehension 
was felt lest there be a violent outbreak. Still the time passed 
quietly, and the business of the Conference was transacted without 
interruption. At its close the following was unanimously 
adopted: 

"Resolved, That the Colorado Conference hereby expresses its pro- 
found regret that the industrial situation in Leadville should at this 
moment be so unfortunate; and we hereby express our devout prayer 
that the existing divisions in this beautiful Cloud City may be speedily 
settled in the spirit of brotherliness, in which each shall acknowledge 
himself his brother's keeper, and seek a basis of agreement not in selfish- 
ness, but in the Golden Rule." 

The continuance of the strike finally resulted in violence, and 
the calling out of the State militia to assist in preserving order. 
Among those whose services were thus given was Raymond, son 
of Dr. and Mrs. N. A. Chamberlain, who contracted the disease 
there that soon took him from this to his eternal home. He was 
a true son, a loving Christian, and a young man of much promise. 

This and other like sacrifices show the need of such action, 
as was recommended in the Conference resolution just quoted. 

The changes in the membership and probationers of the Con- 
ference were as follows : 

Loss by death, two — namely, Henry C. King and Edgar 
White; by withdrawal, three — M. W. Hissey, F. G. Boylan, and 
H. Carlyon; by expulsion, one — F. F. Passmore; and by location, 
five— J. T. Musgrove, L. E. Kennedy, G. W. Ray, W. P. Rhodes, 
and C. Bradford. Probationers discontinued, three — E. So 
Holmes, W. H. Iliff, and Noah Brandybury. 

There were also twelve transfers out of the Conference, mak- 
ing the losses of membership and probationers, twenty-six. 



5 8o 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



The accessions were: Received by transfer, thirteen; on trial, 
six; leaving a decrease of seven in the number of workers en- 
rolled. 

The one item of business that was of interest to all, and that 
will influence largely the future of the Church here, was the ap- 
pointment of a commission to establish and publish a Conference 
paper. This commission was carefully selected after due con- 
sideration, and the success thus far at- 
tending the new venture proves the 
wisdom O'f the choice. 

In the list of the names received by 
transfer were three — S. W. Albone, W. 
Murphey, and T. J. Hooper, who were 
engaged in the mission-fields adjoining 
this State; one, George R. Graff, was 
transferred for the purpose of ordination; 
and one, John Whisler, returned to his 
old Conference home, to be associated 
in membership only with his former co- 
laborers. 

The list of active workers thus re- 
c. m. cobern. . . 

ceived contains the following names: 

F. U. LiljEGren, from the California Conference, to take 
charge of the important Swedish Mission Church in Denver, 
where he is succeeding finely. 

H. M. Mayo, from the Northwest Kansas Conference; sent to 
Rocky Ford. Brother Mayo came with a good record, and by 
his skill in managing the interests of his charge, and by his ability 
as a pastor and preacher, has thus far shown himself a worthy 
successor of the men who laid the foundations here. 

Camden M. Cobern; born in Uniontown, Pa., 1855; con- 
verted when seventeen years of age, under the preaching of Rev. 
A. B. Castle, D. D., of the Pittsburg Conference; graduated at 
Allegheny College, 1876, and the same year received a license to 
preach. For five years he preached in the Erie Conference, and 
then entered the Boston University, receiving the degree of 
S. T. B. in 1883. The same year he was united in marriage with 




THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893- 4.-5-6. 58 1 

Miss Ernestine, daughter of Rev. A. N. Craft, D. D., of the Erie 
Conference, and went immediately to Michigan, Detroit Confer- 
ence, where he was stationed successively at Monroe, Detroit, 
Saginaw, and Ann Arbor. He came to Trinity, Denver, in 1896. 

He spent 1889-90 in study in Europe, Egypt, and Palestine. 
In 1894 he received the degree of D. D. from the Allegheny Col- 
lege, and in the same year published "Ancient Egypt in the Light 
of Modern Discoveries," which is now used as a reference book 
in many universities. 

Brother Cobern is a profound scholar, a superior preacher of 
the Word, a skillful manager of Church finances, an organizer 
of Church interests, and a very faithful 
pastor. By his scholarly addresses be- 
fore the university and other audiences, 
and able discourses from his pulpit, he 
has proven himself a worthy successor 
of those who preceded him in the Law- 
rence Street and Trinity pulpits. The 
Conference may well congratulate itself 
on receiving for a member one whose 
worth and work will certainly commend 
him to universal favor. 

W. F. Conner, from the Pittsburg 
Conference, was placed at Grant Avenue, 

w. F. CONNER. 

Denver. He was born December 10, 

1852, in Columbiana County, Ohio; converted in 1868, and li- 
censed to preach in 1873. He graduated from Mt. Union College 
in 1872, with the degree of A. B. The degree of A. M., and that 
of D. D., were afterward conferred on him by the same institu- 
tion. His wife was Miss Mary E. Taxton, of Chambersburg, Pa. 

Brother Conner came with a record that commended him to 
all as a true brother, an efficient pastor, and a preacher of ability. 
In his work thus far he has met the highest expectations, and is 
greatly beloved by all with whom he has been associated here. 

O. P. Wright, from the St. Louis Conference; at First 
Church, Pueblo. Brother Wright came from Kansas City, in 




5§2 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



an exchange of pulpits with Rev. S. B. Warner. He was a 
stranger to his new Colorado associates, but in his short history 
here he has shown that brotherliness of spirit, that ability as pas- 
tor and preacher that proves him a worthy brother and valuable 
accession. The work in his charge has been attended with more 
than usual success. 

Arthur H. Briggs, from the California Conference; Grace 
Church, Denver. He was born in San Francisco, California, 
January 16, 1859; converted in March, 1881; licensed to preach 
in the fall of 1883, and joined the Cali- 
fornia Conference in 1887; educated at the 
Northwestern University, and at the Bos- 
ton School of Theology. From the former 
he received the degree of A. M., and from 
the latter that of S. T. B. 

He was married, May 26, 1877, to Miss 
Edna Iliff, daughter of Mrs. Bishop War- 
ren. Brother Briggs is scholarly, spiritual, 
tactful, and able as a minister of the 
gospel. 

In his associations with his brethren 
of the ministry and people, he is genial. 
In his methods as a preacher he is evan- 

A. H. BRIGGS. 

gelical, and in his work here he has 
shown himself a "workman" indeed, "that needeth not to be 
ashamed." 

R. Eugene Myers and Joel Smith, from the Oklahoma Con- 
ference. 

Brother MyKRS came during the year previous, and had 
been attending school at the university and "supplying" 
Brighton; sent to Myrtle Hill, Denver. He was a truly conse- 
crated Christian man, efficient as a pastor, and earnest as a 
preacher of the gospel. For reasons good, he returned during 
the summer of 1897 to his former field of labor in Oklahoma. 




THE CONFERENCES OF 1 893-4.-5-6. 



533 



JoEE F. Smith came also the previous year, and had had 
active work. He was born November 4, 1863, in North Carolina; 
was converted in the fall of 1872, and joined the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Graduated from the Grant University, at Athens, 
Tennessee, in 1889, and united with the Blue Ridge Conference 




v X 



in October following; was licensed to preach at seventeen, in 
1880; and ordained a local deacon in 1887; had charge of 
Fairview College, at Traphill, 
North Carolina, for four years, 
and then supplied Perkins, Okla- 
homa, a part of one year. He was 
transferred to the Oklahoma Con- 
ference at its organization. Ap- 
pointments there were: One year 
at Guthrie; one year and a half at 
Stillwater, when, in March, 1894, 
on the death of the presiding elder 
of the Oklahoma District, he was 
appointed thereto. In July, 1895, 
he resigned the district on account 
of failing health, and sought work 
in the Colorado Conference. In 
October following was placed in 
charge of Erie Circuit, where God 
abundantly blessed his labors. In 
1896 he was sent to Salida, but his health soon failed, 
but a short time, when he passed away triumphantly, 
good man and a strong preacher. 




j. F. SMITH. 



He lived 
He was a 



Joseph H. Singleton was ordained deacon, and S. A. Web- 
ber, G. R. Graff, H. W. H. Butler, C. W. Huett, and F. T. 
Krueger, as elders, at this session. 



Interesting Summaries. 

Aprie 18, 1859, when Bishop Scott read the appointments of 
the Kansas and Nebraska Conference, he announced for the first 
time, 'Tike's Peak and Cherry Valley," to be supplied. Two 
weeks later, W. H. Goode was appointed inspecting superin- 



5§4 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



tendent, and Jacob Adriance missionary of this whole Rocky 
Mountain region. 

One year later it was called "The Rocky Mountain District" 
of the same Conference. The General Conference, in Mav, i860, 
divided the Kansas and Nebraska Conference, making two Con- 
ferences, leaving this section with the Kansas Conference. In 
this change it retained its former name, and was known as the 
"Rocky Mountain District" of the Kansas Conference. 

By the authority of the General Conference and of the Board 




GRACE CHURCH, DENVER. 

of Bishops, Bishop E. R. Ames organized the "Rocky Mountain 
Conference," July 10, 1863, in the city of Denver, Colorado. One 
year later, the General Conference changed the name to "The 
Colorado Conference," by which it is yet known. For years it 
included not only Colorado, but Wyoming and New Mexico. 

1. Below I give the entire list of presiding elders from the 
beginning, including the appointees of 1896, with their time of 
service. The first two named served before the Conference was 
organized. The list is given in the order of their first appoint- 
ment : 

Number 1. John M. Chivington, 1860-61, two years. 

Number 2. B. C. Dennis, 1862-63, one year and four months. 



INTERESTING SUMMARIES. 



585 



Number 


3- 


Number 


4- 


Number 


5- 


Number 


6. 


Number 


7- 


Number 


8. 


Number 


9- 


Number 


10. 


Number 


11. 


Number 


12. 


Number 


13- 


Number 


14. 


Number 


IS- 


Number 


16. 


Number 


17- 


Number 


18. 


Number 


19. 


Number 


20. 


Number 


21. 


Number 


22. 



W. B. Slaughter, 1863, one year. 

O. A. Willard, 1863-64-65, three years. 

John L. Dyer, 1864-65-66-67-68-69, six years. 

W. M. Smith, 1866-67-68, three years. 

B. T. Vincent, 1868-69-70-71, 1892-93-94-95-96. 

A. Cather, 1868, one year, in what is now Wyoming. 

George Murray, 1869-70-71, three years. 

L. Hartsough, 1869, one year, in Wyoming. 

G. H. Adams, 1872-73-74-75, four years. 



87-88-89-90-91, eleven and one-half years. 
Cranston, 1880-81-82-83, four years. 



-86- 



F. C. Millington, 1881-82-83, 1884 for six months, when 
he resigned. Three years and one-half. 

N. A. Chamberlain, 1884-85-86-87-88-89, six years and 
two months. 

Cyrus A. Brooks, 1888-89-90-91-92-93, six years. 



R. A. Carnine, 1894-95-96. 

The following is a complete list of the General Conference 
Delegates from the organization : 

1864— 

No Delegates were elected. The interests and records of the 
Conference were looked after by H. D. Fisher and Joseph Denni- 
son, of the Kansas Conference. 

1868— Ministerial. 

Delegate John L,. Dyer. 

Reserve Delegate William M. Smith. 

1872 — Ministerial. 

Delegate , B. T. Vincent. 

Reserve Delegate . , . . ...... George Murray. 

1872 — Laymen. 

Delegate • • • John Evans. 

Reserve Delegate • Samuel H. Elbert. 

1876 — Ministerial. 

Delegate B. F. Crary. 

Reserve Delegate George H. Adams. 



5 86 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



1876 — Laymen. 

Delegate .... . . . John Evans. 

Reserve Delegate .. * William A. Burr. 

1 880—^/ in isteria I. 

Delegate . , B. F. Crary. 

Reserve Delegate , . . . .J. H. Merritt. 

1880 — Laymen. 

Delegate John Evans. 

Reserve Delegate . E. T. Ailing. 

1 884 — Min isterial. 

Delegate. ........... .Earl Cranston. 

Reserve Delegate F. C. Millington. 

1884 — Laymen. 

Delegate , . - ............ .John Evans. 

Reserve Delegate E. T. Ailing. 

1888— Ministerial. 



Delegates. 



Earl Cranston. 
D. H. Moore. 



Reserve Delegates. 
1 888 — Laymen. 

Delegates 



rj. h. 

IN. A. 



Merritt. 
Chamberlain. 

f J. W. Lacey. 
I John Evans. 



Reserve Delegates 
1 892 — M inisterial. 



( Mrs. O. L. Fisher. 
\E. T. Ailing. 



Delegates. 



Earl Cranston. 

A. Chamberlain. 
W. Thornton. 



Reserve Delegates. { T ^C Ilif!^ 

1892— Laymen. 



Delegates. 



Reserve Delegates. 
1896 — Ministerial. 

Delegates. 



f John Evans. 
\ Horace T. DeDong. 



J J. A. Clough. 
\j. E. Downey. 



f Earl Cranston. 
\ Daniel L. Rader. 



f N 

Reserve Delegates .... < 

1896 — Laymen. 

Delegates. ^ 



A. Chamberlain. 
Robert A. Carnine. 



J. W. Gillullv. 
Z. X. Snyder. 



Reserve Delegates 



J J. R. Robinson. 
I B. L. Olds. 



INTERESTING SUMMARIES. 



tuO tuO J- u U U 

BB tntn v v <u V 

dddMWtfpjferpi^ 
A &; <j <j <tj hA^hA^h; 



S. : 5sl« : N8.«!{?'-«««« or " 



T3^^£££-~c/j;/j^^'^'-^b/!fcjDbJ0bJDb£ 

S S2: — - - = = ' z 



^ , CD OJ fl) flj U r\i (\i flj CI J flj fit n j f>J flj 



* > > > ; . _ 

<tj ;4 h ^ ^ ^ W W £ ^ ^ ^ d d a d d ^ a a 4 ,4 4 .41414.4 144 a 
os'm^ £ £ d d d 0 ^^^b fa fc" fa fa £ B « W W W W W W W W W 



2 >.u 



cn 



: <J fe £ w .73 
; O H P 03 



«, ^ g« o/ = u fl*. 



ft 

O « o 



5£3 



H H , _ - . _ - _ .. . _ 

QoQWuOo0HQ0Oou«QOfeO4oQ4PM0QuouQPHH 



2^ 

3 C c« 

O <U CD 

P5Q4 



CN LO^O t^OO 0\0 m N UO^O t^CO On O >-" 

. r-» r-~ r-~oo oooooooooooooooooo on o 

ICOOOGOOOaOOOOOOOOOCOOOMOOCOTDCOOOOOOOOOcXJOOOOoOCO^ -/: X 



o o 



CN O O On c*0 O m O On 



r<-> CO iO t^v£5 lOt^ONM no On30 t^vO NO 



N W (N t*5<N 

>>>x >>>,>> bo bnba bo bo bo >> be >>>>>>>> be >> ~it ~ 



CD K <D <U 

a a fl c 

3 fl 3 3 S fl 



« N (N N PI CN N 



5 88 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 




"Zbev rest from tbetr labors; ano tbeir works oo follow tbem.' 



NAME. 



DEATH. 



Geo. S. Phillips, A. M... 

Mrs. M. Shaffner 

Henry C. Waltz 

Mrs. M.McKean Fisher 
Mrs. C. W. Armstrong- 
Mrs. E. E. R. Wilson- 
Mrs. E. A. Libby 

Robt. W. Manly, D. D... 

John Wilson 

Mrs. N. P. Eldridge 

Mrs. M. J. Eaton 

John Stocks 

Mrs. I,. J. Bruner 

F. C. Millington 

Mrs. D- P. Dyer 

C. C. Zebold 

Mrs. S. A. Thornton 

Mrs. Emma J. Chase... 
Mrs. Fiances H.Merritt 

Edwin E. Allison 

Mrs. Helen P. Calkins.. 

William Plested 

Mrs. L,. E. Carnine 

Mrs. H. O. Flesher 

Henry C. King 

Edgar White 

Mrs. J. T. Musgrove 

John W. Linn 

Joel F. Smith 

Benjamin F. Todd 

Samuel I,. Todd 



Oct. 19, 
June 5) 

Mar. 25, 
Nov. 3, 
June 12, 
Aug. 5, 
May 6, 
Sept. 27, 
Feb. 22, 
Feb. 5, 
Aug. 8, 
Mar. 18, 
Mar. 20, 
Jan. 6, 
Dec. 11, 
Sept. 7, 

Mar. 3, 
Dec. 4, 
Dec. 16, 
Dec. 8, 
Mar. 27, 

Sept. 16, 



1S39 
1843 
1841 
i860 

1843 
1S47 
1830 
1843 
1849 
1845 
1829 
1853 
1841 
1827 
1859 
1842 
1S64 
1S39 
1857 
1865 
1842 
1862 
1863 
1844 
1861 



Aug. 13, 1855 
Nov. 4, 1863 



Ohio 

Indiana 

Wisconsin. 
New York. 
Virginia.... 

Maine 

Ohio 

Canada 

Maine 

Ohio 

England ... 

Indiana 

New York.. 

Maine 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Iowa 

New York. 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Canada 

Iowa 

Illinois 

England ... 

Pennsyl'ia 
N.Carolina 



Mar. 21, 1S73 

May ii, 1877 

Feb. 8, 1S77 

July 29, 1880 

May 15, 1S81 

Feb. 7, 1881 

July 15, 1S83 

Mar. 3, 1SS5 

Mar. 28, 1885 

July 25, 1885 

Sept. 19, 1886 

Oct. 27, J8S7 

Dec. 27, 1887 

April 9, 1888 

May 9, 1888 

Jan. 8, 1890 

May 22, 1891 

Dec. 8, 1891 

Nov. 9, 1S92 

Mar. 27, 1893 

July 1, 1893 

July 18, 1893 

May 18, 1894 

June 30, 1895 

July 16, 1895 
1896 




Ohio. 
Denver. 

Quincy, Illinois. 

Greeley. 

Monument. 

Georgetown. 

Wheat Ridge. 

Wenona, Illinois 

Denver. 

Cheyenne, Wyo. 
Colorado Springs 
Bald Mountain. 
Indiana. 
Denver. 

University Park 

Monte Vista. 

Denver 

Denver. 

Denver. 

Denver. 

Castle Rock. 

Trinidad. 

Pueblo. 

Denver. 

Denver, Colo. 

Erie, Colo. 

California. 

Leadville. 

Salida. 

Castle Rock. 

Pueblo. 



CONCLUDING NOTE. 



589 



CONCLUDING NOTE. 

My task, which was begun by the urgent request of many 
friends, is now completed, and I send it forth on its mission of 
"good-will" to men, believing that when this "mortality shall have 
put on immortality," it will continue to glorify God. 

The thoughts recorded in this volume have occupied my mind 
so fully for the last five years, that I could scarcely think of any- 
thing else. 

While writing this book I have lived my life over and over 
again. I have seen many mistakes — not necessarily sins — but 
how comforting the thought that, amid all our weaknesses, "we 
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!" 
(1 John ii, 1.) 

My aim in this volume has been to give a view of the itinerancy 
from the standpoint of the "rank and file," hoping thereby to 
encourage some weary toiler on his heavenward journey, when 
tempted to step aside, that he may press on, doing the work 
assigned him, until he shall hear the Master's "Well done!" before 
the throne. 

If one soul shall be strengthened, and lifted into a richer and 
fuller religious experience, by the blessing of God, in the reading 
of this book, I shall be amply repaid for the years spent in the 
direct preparation of the same. Dear reader, would you have all 
there is for you, spiritually? Then throw yourself at Jesus' feet, 
and cry, like David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God: and 
renew a right spirit within me. Wash me thoroughly from my 
sin, and cleanse me from mine iniquity." (Psalm li.) Never! 
O never! stop short of the highest possible attainment in the 
Divine life. Faith alone is the condition of its bestowment. 
(Ephesians iii, 14-21,) 

I began preaching eight months after my conversion, and held 
forty services that year, while attending school, before I had 
either a license to exhort or to preach; in fact, I traveled on a 
circuit under the elder three months before I was authorized to 
preach the gospel by the Church in the regular way. Do you 
ask, "Has it paid? How does it appear now?" My reply is, 
"If I had a thousand lives to live, they should all be spent, as has 



59Q 



ECHOES FROM PEAK AND PLAIN. 



been the past one, in publishing to dying men the 'glad tidings' 
of a 'free and a full salvation from all sin.' " 

It is now a delightful reflection, that I have not preached for 
applause, nor for money, nor to please worldly-minded professors. 
No! no! But to save souls, and to "present every man perfect in 
Christ Jesus." 

"Are we sowing seeds of goodness? 

They shall blossom bright erelong. 
Are we sowing seeds of discord? 

They shall ripen into wrong. 
Are we sowing seeds of honor? 

They shall bring forth golden grain. 
Are we sowing seeds of falsehood? 
We shall yet reap bitter pain. 
Whatsoe'er our sowing be, 
Reaping, we its fruit must see." 

"We can never be too careful 

What the seed our hands shall sow; 
Love from love is sure to ripen, 

Hate from hate is sure to grow. 
Seeds of good or ill we scatter 

Heedlessly along our way; 
But a glad or grievous fruitage 

W T aits us at the harvest day." 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Abana 208 

Abinadab 187 

Absalom's Tomb 199 

Abraham's Oak , 189 

Ackland Place 128 

Acker, J. M 371 

Acropolis 211 

A Close Call 145 

A Cowardly Act. 98 

Adair, J. M 510, 591 

Adland, Wm 519 

Adams, George H 282, 297 

Adams, B. M 259 

Adkinson, John 276 

Adobe Church 219, 477 

Adullam 190 

Adriatic Sea 211 

Advice Freely Given r 66 

Admissible Shouting 106 

Adriance, Jacob 225, 231, 243, 244, 258 

Adriance, Mrs. Fanny H 270 

A Fishing-party 475 

A Flue Blown Out With Powder 471 

A Forerunner 178 

"Age of Reason " Cast Aside 101 

Aijalon 187 

Aikens, Captain 220 

Ain Belat 207 

Ain et Tim 206 

Akron 510 

Alamosa 471, 528 

Alboue, S. W 580 

Albright, N. S 383 

Alderman, E. G 431 

Alexandria, Egypt 175 

Aley, L. C 431, 492 

Allen, A. P 240, 247, 257, 272 

Allen, George 230 

Allen, E. L 260, 439 

Allen, G. S 272, 334, 542, 559 

Allen, C. B 507, 517 

Ailing, E. T 260, 400, 431, 586 

Allison, E. E 531, 588 

Alma 432, 444 

Alpine 445 

1. 



Alps. 



[55 



Altar of Burnt Offerings 201 

Altona, 111 564 

A Little Romance 236 

Ames, Bishop E. R.. . .56, 62, 77, 260, 

261, 272, 284, 584 



PAGE. 

Amsbury, W. A 280, 282 

A Modest Man Introduced 436 

Anecdotes of J. L. Dyer 291 

Antelope Herd 153 

An Aggressive Force 368 

Anderson, M 509 

Anderson, Captain 136 

Anderson, J. C 241, 360 

Anderson, J 452 

Anderson, G 367 

Antes, Wm 259, 268, 272, 275 

Antes, H. B 520 

Antes, J. W 533 

Anti-Lebanon 208 

Andrew, T 540 

Andrews, Bishop E. G. .410, 494, 541, 543 

Anchor Line 213 

Animas City 445, 455 

Angelic Choir 190 

A One-legged Bedstead 236 

Arve 154 

Arvada 271, 368, 436, 533, 562, 563 

Arapahoe 230, 270 

Argo 338, 459, 479, 480, 507 

Arch of Titus 162 

Arch of Constantiue 162 

Arab Funeral 177 

Arab Dwelling 180 

Arab Plowing 187 

Area of the Centennial State 223 

Argentine Pass 340 

Armstrong, G. B 442 

Armstrong, J 422 

Armstrong, Mrs. C. W 588 

Arnzen, Mrs. Isabel 252 

Army Life 115 

Arminian Convent 199 

Arminian Pilgrims 202 

Asbury Church. . . .332, 376, 427, 463, 533 

Asbury, Bishop 47 

Arthur, William 62 

Atherton, A. H 62 

Apostolic Church 437 

Appian Way 157 

Appointments, i860 to 1871 . . 238, 273, 

275, 276, 279, 280, 282, 291, 320, 345 

Athens, Greece 211 

Ashley, W. R 266, 552 

Aspen 431, 482, 507 

A Solitary Match Ignited 417 

A Singular Reproof 410 

591 



592 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

A Shoemaker Jew 56 

A Thankful Woman 280 

A Wedding in the Dark 35 

A Woman Robbed 286 

A Toboggan Ride 212 

A Young Miss's First Sermon 407 

Arundel, A. W 483 

Auraria 219, 221, 356 

Aurora 163 

Austin, H. H 539 

A Wax Doll 164 

Baalbec 207 

Backsheesh 179, 181, 200 

Baker, Jim 219 

Baker, Bishop O. C 71, 278 

Baker, B. W . 458 

Bald Mountain 466, 494 

Baldwin, W. W 282, 275, 393, 452 

Baltimore Medical College 478 

Ball, G. W in 

Bailey, J. W 396 

Bailey, W. Iy 5i9> 5 2 5 

Bangs, H 31, 333 

Banias 207 

Bannister, Dr 245 

Baptism of Jesus 161 

Baptist, John the 161 

Baptistry 157, 259, 264 

Barr 562 

Barraclough 476 

Barrett, George 302 

Barkley, Dr 201 

Bardstown Junction 123 

Barns, R. M 536 

Barnhart, J. W 578 

Barnes, A. G 219, 220 

Barker, A. H 221, 229 

Bascom, N 534 

Barton House Burned 309 

Bathing 186, 191, 193 

Battle Impending 120 

Battle in Front of Nashville, Tenn. 127 

Battle, the First Day 129 

Battle, the Second Day 131 

Battle, the Third Day 135 

Battle-field of Stone River 145 

Baxter, C. L 539 

Bayliss, Dr 449 

Basalt 516 

Beardsley, D. A 37 

Beardsley, H. L 9, 79, 423 

Beardsley, Melville Cox 426, 467 

Beardsley, Gideon L. 562 

Bear Creek 314 

Bear-pits 154 

Bear-hunt 341 

Bear Canon Church 491 

Beard Offensive 98 

Beatty, W , 395 

Beatty, Mrs. John 91 

Becker ■ 235 

Beckwourth Street Church 377, 424 

Bedouins 207 



PAGE. 

Beggs, F. S 494, 551 

Bent, Col 219 

Bema of Demosthenes 211 

Bennett, Mrs. P. S 404 

Bennett, Miss Ella 429 

Bell's Two Hundred Dollars 362 

Bell Rang Early 311 

Bell, Dr 455 

Beit Jann 207 

Berea, Ohio 99 

Berkeley 381 

Berne, Switzerland 154 

Berry, R 3S8 

Berlin 213 

Bethel 202 

Bethel Cottage 404 

Betts, George C 362 

Bethlehem 189, 199 

Berthoud Pass 337, 340 

Bewley, W. M 271, 510, 527 

Bessemer 540, 544 

Bey rout 185, 210 

Bezetha 199 

Bible Would Destroy My Business. . 310 

Big Dry 523, 527, 562 

Birth of Protestantism 158 

Biscuit Wanted 338 

Billingsly, A. S 244 

Bishop, S. E 381 

Bishop, J. P 521 

Bithel, Tho 379 

Bittner, E. F. A 544, 545 

Black Hawk 469, 533 

Black, Miss Susan 340 

Black, Miss Hattie 340 

Black, John 340 

Black-tongue 308 

Blake, Isaac E 511 

Blackburn 147 

Blodgett, C. W 413 

Bloom, Frank 476 

Blood Will Tell 352 

Blue River 340 

Boies, J 453 

Bolivar, Ohio 101 

Boiling, W. T 386 

Booth, F. C 559 

Bologne 156 

Bosworth, R. W 346 

Boulder 270, 332, 334, 538, 539 

Bowling Green 124 

Bowman, Bishop T .420, 506 

Bowman, Mrs. J 333 

Bouton, W. S 50 

Bottomless 262 

Bourquin, Miss Emma 510 

Boyer Family 67 

Boylan, F. G 576 

Bradford, Major 235, 255 

Bradford, Wm 241 

Bradford, C 549, 568, 579 

Bradway, Miss E 532 

Brandy bury, N 540, 579 

Bragg, Gen 124 



INDEX. 



593 



PAGE. 

Bray, M 75 

Brainard, W. V. 0 57 

Bread Cast Upon the Waters 181 

Brick Arches 164 

Breed, W. J 139 

Bridwell, C. W 519, 571 

Briggs Mission 382, 516 

Briggs, A. H. 582 

Brewer, C. W 260, 483 

Bratton, J. D 545 

Bridge of Sighs 156 

Brindisi 175 

Brooks, E. C 260, 324, 330, 345 

Brooks, C. A 271, 352, 422 

Brooks, Mrs. A. C 353 

Brook, Mrs 558 

Brooker, L 371 

Broomfield 422 

Brenner Pass 212 

Brothers, David 479 

Broadway Heights 380 

Broadway, Pueblo 528 

Brown's Bridge 314 

Brownson, John 377 

Bruin Defiant 340, 341 

Bruner, A. B 507 

Bruner, Mrs. I,. J 588 

Brocket, J 220 

Burr, Wm. A 586 

Burt, D. W 512, 544 

Brown, J 213 

Brown, Aunt Clara 222, 358 

Brown, H. C 360 

Bross, Gov 252 

Bronco-breaker Caught 561 

Bruns, H 373 

Bryan Circuit 62 

Buena Vista 444, 460, 464 

Buckner, N. S 260, 346 

Buchtel, H. A 

Bunker Hill 

Burgess, M. M 

Buffaloes 

Bullets Whizzed 128, 132 

Buckhorn Circuit 510 

Buckeye, R. E 454, 510 

Buoy, C. W 375, 462 

Burnell Springs 251 

Burnell, J. M 353 

Burton, H 360 

Bursting Shells 129 

Burlington Circuit 527 

Bush, J. D 385 

Butcher, James 149 

Bunyan, John 213 

Butler, H. W. H 573 

Byers, W. N 388 

Byron, Lord 155, 157, 159, 161, 

162, 163, 210 



Cage, G. A. W 

Cairo 

Caique 

California Street Church 



499 
366 

74 
334 



543 

1/6 

210 

.331, 366, 369 



PAGE. 

Calkins, H. R 552 

Calkins, Mrs. H. P 588 

Calfee, D. W 520 

Calvin, John 154 

Camp 261, 312, 337 

Camp Chase 149 

Camp-meeting 36, 333 

Campanile 156 

Cameron Memorial 379 

Cana of Galilee 205 

Canal Dover, Ohio no 

Canon City 256, 259, 260, 322, 438 

Canon, R 241 

Cane Presentation 482 

Capernaum 206 

Campo Santo 156 

Capitol Changed 392 

Captain Wounded 134 

Caribou 418, 510 

Carbon, Wyoming 520 

Carlton Hill 153 

Carrol Schoolhouse 147 

Carroll, F. B 385 

Carly on, H 579 

Carmel 204 

Carnine, R. A 547 

Carnine, Mrs. R. A 588 

Castle of Chillon 154 

Carter, Alexander 226, 231, 356 

Carter, W. T 360 

Carson, Kit 219 

Carpenter-shop 359 

Castle, P. C 312 

Castle Rock 510, 520 

Castle of St. Angelo 162 

Catacombs 159, 160 

Catskill Mountains 20 

Cather, A • 290, 452 

Carpenter, H. A 431 

Cattle King 323 

Cathedral Cave 319 

Cave of Machpelah 189 

Cave City 124 

Case, W. B 312 

Case, A. B 388 

Casey, M. A •••••479, 534 

Caughlan, J. W 270 

Carnahan, B 519 

Central City 221 

Cesarea Philippi 297 

Chafee, J. B. 222, 388 

Chair of the English Bible... 404 

Chair of D. H. Moore 405 

Chamberlain, N. A 260, 457 

Chamberlain, H. B 364, 400, 407, 562 

Chamberlain, R 579 

Chaplain McCabe 260, 321 

Chaplaincy 95, 145 

Chase, R. A 260, 529 

Chase, W. D 324, 412 

Chase, N. W 437, 442 

Chase, A. L. 513 

Chase, Mrs. E. J 588 

Charlotteville, N. Y 29, 40 



594 



INDEX. 



Chamounix, Valley; Alps 154 

Chassel, O. B 539, 543 

Chapin, H. C 304 

Chateau of Voltaire 154 

Chattanooga, Tenn 147 

Chatfield, Seth 149 

Cheyenne 286, 437, 452, 453 

Cheyenne Wells 515, 574 

Cheops 181 

Cherry Creek Flood 222, 392, 360 

Chilcott, G. M 393 

Chivington, J. M 240, 236, 243, 

250, 272, 275 

Chivington Circuit 521 

Choate, R. L 497 

Christ Church 370, 489 

Church of St. Helena 189 

Church of the Holy Sepulcher 201 

Church, Frank 363 

Church Needs 411 

Christian Commission 97 

City Missions 380, 383, 421, 544, 565 

Cinnamon Bear 317 

Circuit Riders 294 

Clark, N. N 70 

Clark, Rufus 222, 400 

Clark, Bishop D. W 274 

Clark, Fred A 304 

Clark, J. M 511 

Cleora 427, 444 

Cline, C. F 412, 429 

Clyde 213 

Clough, John A 396, 586 

Cockran, Miss Mary E 580 

Cobern, CM 580 

Coffman, E. J 270, 354 

Coffman, James F 419, 456 

Coffman, A. W 451 

Clayton, Mrs 381 

Coates, H. C 497 

Coleman, A 360 

Collins, John 278, 429 

Collins Chapel 380 

Collins, J. E 350 

Collins, Miss Mattie 525 

Collins, Isaac F 335 

Collins, A. M 111 

Collett, W. E 519, 567 

Collier, D. W 358 

Colfax, S 252 

Cologne 213 

Colorow 333 

Coppin, James 60 

Coal Creek 522, 544 

Coliseum 157, 162 

Cleopatra's Needle 176 

Colorado 207 

Colorado City 255, 322, 520, 523, 528 

Colorado Seminary 361, 444 

Colorado Penitentiary 322 

Colorado Springs 323 

Colorado Springs Circuit 578 

Colorado Conference — 

Organized 272 



PAGE. 

Colorado Conference — 

Name Changed 274 

Session of 1863 273 

Session of 1864 274 

Session of 1865 275 

Session of 1866 278 

Session of 1867 279 

Session of 1868 282 

Session of 1869 290 

Session of 1870 320 

Session of 1871 345 

Session of 1872 348 

Session of 1S73 412 

Session of 1874 420 

Session of 1875 422 

Session of 1876 426 

Session of 1877 430 

Session of 1878 431 

Session of 1879 437 

Session of 1880 444 

Session of 1881 457 

Session of 1882 461, 479 

Session of 1883 481 

Session of 1884 488 

Session of 1885 494 

Session of 1886 507 

Session of 1887 509 

Session of 1888 519 

Session of 1889 527 

Session of 1890 533 

Session of 1891 545 

Session of 1892 548 

Session of 1893 5^i 

Session of 1894 572 

Session of 1895 574 

Session of 1896 579 

Group of 1865 277 

Group of 1879 443 

Group of 1885 493 

Collom, John 278 

Collom, J. E 464 

Como 511, 528 

Constance 154 

Constantinople 210 

I Copts 178 

Conch Shell 302 

1 Corn well, W. D 368 

! Cook, C. A 388 

, Cook, T. P 425 

Cook, Thomas 183, 186 

I Cook, H. B 533, 538, 581 

Concluding Note 589 

Conner, W. F 581 

Conwell, A. B 549 

Corfu... 175 

Corodini 166 

Cooley, R ' 148 

Cort, Simeon 271, 366 

Cox, General 129 

Craft, A. N 581 

Crane, C. A 573 

Crary, B. F 261, 331, 350 

Cranston, Bishop E 439 

Cree, John 241, 271 276,305, 360 



INDEX. 



595 



PAGE. 

Cripple Creek 549, 551 

Crockett 143, 217 

Crigler, George 378 

Crippin, G. B 49 

Crowned 588 

Crooks, A 507, 544 

Crouch, H. A 386 

Crowe, J. M 386 

Crusaders 205 

Cumberland River 121 

Cumberland Barracks 149 

Cummings, Dr 153 

Cupheag 21 

Curnick, E. T 375, 492 

Cyprus 210 

Dalton Circuit 84 

Dallas Park 520 

Dame, Mary E 438 

Damascus 208 

Dan is Dead 55 

Dancers Converted 100 

Danube 213 

Daniels, Webster 379 

Darley, A. M 471 

Dardanelles 211 

Dart, T. M 415 

David's Tomb 199 

Davis, J 476 

Davis, F. L 557, 577 

Day, CD 567 

Dead Sea. 191 

Deaconess Home in Denver (1885) . . 

423, 544 

Dead Christ Veiled 166 

Deane, Mrs. C. H 374 

Death Scenes 23, 55, 60, 110, 93, 

133, io9, 466, 342 

Deardorff, U.C 112 

DeHass, F. S 77 

DeBeque 530, 571 

Delegates to the Gen'l Conference. . 586 

DeLong, Horace T 586 

Delta 492 

DeLaMatyr, Gilbert 481, 489 

DeFoe, J. A 386 

Del Norte 262, 428, 469, 476 

Dennis, B. C 248, 259, 272, 275 

Dennison, J 581 

Denver 221, 268, 314, 331, 368, 400 

Dew, J. P 37i, 375, 4H 

De Witt, Dr 112 

Dobbins, Miss Kate A 505 

Dodge, E. C 260, 430, 559 

Doud, Leander L, 73 

Doud, E. A 460 

Douglas, Stephen A 342 

Doleman 230 

Donkey-riding 178, 180 

Dothan 204 

Dotson, W. A 422 

Downey, J. E 586 

Dover Circuit 83 



Doge's Palace 156 

Doyle, J. B 367, 386 

Doylestown, Ohio 84 

Dresden 213 

Dreadful Scenes 135 

Driver Drowned 288 

Dubois, E. V 578 

Duncan, J. A 386 

Dundas, B. B 430, 559 

Duomo 157 

Durango 455, 456, 511, 528, 534 

Durbin, Jesse -230, 296 

Durbin, B. B 452 

Dyer, J. L 249, 245, 259, 272, 280, 

282, 321 

Dyer, Mrs. L. P 588 

Dyer, E. F 423 

Eads, J. R 271, 414 

Eason, R 533 

Easter 202 

Eaton, B. A. P 427 

Eaton, Mrs. M. J 588 

East Pueblo 540, 549 

Ebal 203 

Eberhart, E. G 431, 527 

Eckel, J. P 386 

Ecker, C 372 

Edgewater 382, 422, 516 

Edinburgh, Scotland 153, 213 

Edmonson, J. A 426 

Educational Convention 387, 395, 437 

Edwards, E. E 438 

Edwards, C. A 571 

Eighth Street Mission 383 

Ein-Jalude 204 

Elbert, S. H 246, 372, 585 

Elect Women 477 

Eldridge, G. N 482 

Eldridge, Mrs. N. P. 588 

Elim 187 

Elijah 191, 204, 205 

Elk Creek 515 

Elkins, D. W 521 

Elliott, C 62 

Ellison, Dr. 0 492 

Elstow 213 

Elsworth Street Mission 381 

Empire Pass 310, 337 

Endowment Fund 399, 403 

England, G. A 414 

Episcopal Residence 383 

Ep worth League 5°3 

Epworth Mission 383 

Erie 4 6 7. 5H> 520, 5 2 7 

Eshcol 188 

Evans, John 246, 260, 272, 364 

Evans, Josephine 374 

Evans Memorial 325, 432 

Evans, Matthew 43 8 

Evanston, Wyoming 335, 454 

Everly, Lewis 9 1 

Ewart, A. L,. T 485 



596 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Fairbanks, A. D 431, 481, 531 

Fairplay 256, 350 

Father, A New 76 

Father Jacob 90 

Farrah, W. B 112 

Farmer, J. J 455 

Fay 233 

Feidler, J 3?3 

Feldhauser, P 372 

Ferguson, J. A 495 

Field, J. A 372 

Field, A. N 439, 559 

Fifth Avenue 378, 528 

Financial Exhibit. .273, 411, 480, 560, 584 

Fink, J. P 372 

First Things in Colorado, Some of 
the— 

First Church 240 

First Church Burned 237 

First Fourth of July Celebra- 
tion 219, 366 

First-born of the Colorado Con- 
ference., 282 

First Camp-meeting 259 

First Local Preacher 228 

First Love-feast 228, 357 

First Marriage 256 

First Plug Hat 358 

First Presiding Elder 240 

First Methodist Episcopal 

Church, South 241 

First Quarterly Conference 228 

First Quarterly Meeting at 

Boulder 237 

First Quarterly Meeting at Blue 

River 256 

First Quarterly Meeting at Cali- 
fornia Gulch 240 

First Quarterly Meeting at 

Canon City 241 

First Quarterly Meeting at Den- 
ver 356 

First Quarterly Meeting at 

Mountain City 241 

First Resident of University 

Park 401 

First Sacrament of the Lord's 

Supper 231, 357 

First Sunday-school 358, 366 

First Sermon in Animas Val- 

. ley ; 425. 445 

First Sermon in Arkansas Val- 
ley 296 

First Sermon in Arvada 271 

First Sermon in Boulder 233 

First Sermon in Breckenridge. . 254 
First Sermon in Buckskin Joe. . 256 
First Sermon in California 

Gulch 255 

First Sermon in Canon City 257 

First Sermon in Central City. . . 229 
First Sermon in Colorado City. . 248 

First Sermon in Del Norte 263 

First Sermon in Denver 228, 356 



PAGE. 

First Things in Colorado, Some of 
the— 

First Sermon in Florence 260 

First Sermon in Fort Garland . . 292 

First Sermon in Georgetown 302 

First Sermon in German 372, 

373, 492 

First Sermon in Gold Hill 233 

First Sermon in Gold Run 254 

First Sermon in Golden City . . . 228 

First Sermon in Hamilton 254 

First Sermon in Mountain City. 228 
First Sermon in Platte Valley. . . 267 

First Sermon in South Park 254 

First Sermon in Tarryall 254 

Fisher, G. W 228, 356 

Fisher, W. H.. 248, 272, 273 

Fisher, O. L 420 

Fisher, Mrs. McKean 588 

Fisher, H. D 580 

Flack, A 29, 34 

Fleming's Grove 393, 429 

Flesher, J. W 520, 523 

Flesher, Mrs. H. 0 588 

Florissant Circuit 528 

Florence, Italy 156 

Florence Circuit 463, 492, 520 

Floyd Hill 213 

Fluke, Jacob 82 

Foote, R. H 453 

Forest Fires 209 

Fort Collins 412 

Fort Garland 263, 264 

Fort Logan 380 

Fort Lupton 267, 335, 559, 561 

Fort Morgan 551 

Fort Weld 250 

Fort Worth 538 

Foss, Bishop C. D 448, 574 

Foster, Bishop R. S 461, 471, 566, 47 

Founder of Colorado Methodism . 225, 243 

Fountain of Jericho 193 

Fountain College 393 

Four of Us 307 

Fowler, W. R 259, 261 

Fowler, Charlotte 259 

Frazier, T. J 113 

Frazier s Elizabeth 259 

Frazier Creek 322 

Franks, Martha F 282 

Frankfort-on-the-Main 213 

Free Methodist Church 386 

Fremont, J. C 219 

Fremont Orchard 336 

Frenchman's Valley 519 

Freyburg ■ 154 

Fresco Paintings in the Catacombs.. 160 

Friend 520 

Frick, C 373 

Fruita 534, 541 

Fry, G. P 545 

Full, Wm 420, 422 

Funeral Procession 171 



INDEX. 



597 



PAGE. 

Galilee 157 

Gamewell, F. D 461 

Garden of the Gods 317, 319 

Garrett, J. F 386 

Gauntlet Ran 124 

Gardner, D. N 372 

Gerizim 203 

Geneva 154 

Genoa 155 

Georgetown 301, 324, 311 

German Church, Pueblo 371 

Gethsemane 199, 195 

Gibbon 154 

Gideon's Band 204 

Gibson, D 54 

Gifford, Sarah 72 

Gill, A. J 287, 360, 367 

Gillam, W. H 271, 367, 433 

Gilliland, John 280 

Gilluly,J.W 586 

Gillson, J 367 

Gilmer, U.Z 552 

Girondists 411 

Gilpin, Wm 219, 243 

Girl Drowned 309 

Girls' Industrial Home 309 

Girls' Cottage 404 

Girten, T 259, 317 

Gladiator 162 

Glasgow, Scotland 153, 213 

Glazier, J. W 286 

Glen Park 315, 318 

Glenwood Springs 343, 492 

Glick, G. M 545 

Glockner, A. B 545 

Glorietta 251 

Gold Watch Presented 534 

Golden City 270, 271, 288, 520 

Golden College 387 

Goldrich, O. F 388 

Gold-findings 220 

Goodsell, Bishop D. A 527 

Goode, W. H..219, 224, 234, 244, 356, 583 

Good Templars 563 

Goodrich, Mrs 61 

Gould, Jay 56 

Goss, C. J 304 

Goss", Chet 304 

Grace, H. J 530 

Grace Church 375, 528, 584 

Grand River Circuit 338, 340 

Grand Junction 531 

Gray, David 69 

Gray, D. S 545 

Gray's Peak 349 

Graveyard Started 302 

Grand Cation 322 

Graff, G. R 580 

Granite 426 

Granada 511, 520, 523 

Grasshoppers 426 

Graham, H. J 356 

Grant Avenue 380, 530 

Graves, Oliver 271 



PAGE. 

Graves, Lucy 271 

Graves, W. J 377 

Green, D. S 229, 241 

Greene, L. G. H 275 

Greene, W. H 271, 435, 559 

Green, J. C 462, 507 

Greene, Miss Phebe 373 

Green City 335, 336 

Green Lake 348 

Greenwood 381 

Greeley, H 58 

Griff eth, D. T 290, 304 

Grotto of Pausilippo 167 

Grotto Del Cane 187 

Guerrillas 140 

Guido 163 

Guillotine 153 

Gullette, J. C 574 

Gunnison City 428, 460 

Haish, Jacob 400 

Hall, Wm 43, 50 

Hall, Newman 153 

Hall, J. J 268 

Hall, L. J 260, 412 

Hall, George 475 

Hallett, H. W 525 

Hallien 212 

Hammitt, F. W 260, 554 

Hammitt, A. D 497 

Hamilton, Wm 267 

Hamaker, John 105 

Hannah, J. R 287 

Hager, Richard 72 

Harbert, E. G 431 

Hard, Frank 50 

Harris, J. F 260, 462 

Harris, Bishop W. L. 426 

Harris, Wm 385, 514 

Harford, R. L, 412, 421 

Harpst, H 556 

Harbert, F. G 521 

Harned, C. W 550 

Harrington, J 262 

Hartsough, L. 324, 452 

Hart, Dean M 235 

Hahn, F. S 367 

Harwood, T 326 

Harwood, Mrs. F. J 327 

Harwood, T. M 504 

Hassell, D. H 373 

Haupt, W. H 379 

Hausser, F 373 

Hawaggah Backsheesh 209 

Hawkins, M 548 

Hawkins, J. M 549 

Haven, Bishop Gilbert 423 

Haven, Bishop F. 0 457 

Hays, Elder 23 

Hays, J. S 367 

Haymarket Haven 487 

Hedding, Bishop E 56 

Hebron 188 

Hell, Sure 262 



598 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Hellespont 210 

Heliopolis 179, 209 

Henderson 557 

Henson, H 328 

Herculaneum 170, 172, 174 

Hermon 188, 204 

Herrings Grove 515 

Hershman, David 268 

Hessell, L. H 373 

Hester, W. R 377 

Hicks, W 487 

Highland Place 381, 382 

Hildt, Daniel 112 

Hildt, Fidelia 112 

Hiller, C. C. P. 381, 539 

Hiller, F. L. D 379, 380, 540 

Hilton, H. S 374, 433 

Hilton, G. F 453 

Hissey, M. W 539, 533 

Hoffman, R. A 260 

Hood, Wm 340 

Holiness Camp-meeting 514, 515, 

572, 522, 526 

Hopkins, S. M 511 

Horse-race Postponed 269 

Hospital Work 136, 142 

Hot Sulphur Springs 336, 388, 340 

Holy Ghost Baptism 437 

Hotchkiss 556 

Hough, A. M 56 

Howbert, Wm 240, 244, 248, 254 

Howard, the Dragoman 186, 188 

Howard, F 271 

Howe, H. A 409 

Hoyt, 0 454 

Holy rood Palace 153 

Holmes, E. S 578 

Holmes, Miss C. A 497 

Home, M. S 528 

Holy Ground 188 

Holyoke 519, 527 

Hooper, T.J 500 

Horn, J. C 575 

Hornbeck, M. D 571 

Horns of Hattin 205 

Horsemanship Displayed 190 

House of Simon the Tanner 186 

Houses of Parliament 153 

Hubbard, E. G 476 

Huber, S. H 454, 499 

Huett, C. W 381, 480, 561 

Hugo 574 

Huene, G. B. F 572 

Hurlbert, F. B 452 

Humphrey, H 72 

Huston, H. J 464, 482 

Hutchinson, J. W 452 

Hurst, Bishop J. F 548 

Hussy, W 388 

Hyde, A. B 403, 495 

Huss, John 154 

Idaho Springs 312, 436, 464 

Iliff, T. C 364, 445 



PAGE. 

Iliff, Mrs. E 384 

Iliff, W. D 401 

Iliff, W. H 579 

Iliff, Miss Edna 579 

Iliff School of Theology 405,407, 

549, 55i 

Incorporated 360, 387, 388 

Indian Chief Friday 269 

Indulgences 158 

International Museum 166 

Ireland 153, 563 

Irwin, G. W 577 

Isle of Man 307 

Ismailia, Egypt 183 

Jacob's Well 199, 203 

Jaffa Gate 188 

James, H. A 525 

Janes, Bishop E. S 345 

Jeffrey, T. W, 571 

Jenkins, T 525, 534, 549 

Jerusalem 162, 188, 194, 197, 200 

Jericho 193 

Jerome of Prague 154 

Jezreel 204, 205 

Jimtown 574 

John, Wm 544, 555 

Johnson, C. W 241, 275, 388 

Johnson, H. H 240, 255, 258 

Johnson, A. A 537, 548 

Johnson, James 91 

Jones, Wm 74 

Jones, Sarah E 372 

Jones, Lewis 388 

Jones, M. L. 467 

Jones, H. A 539 

Joppa 184, 206 

Joseph 156, 203 

Jordan 191, 207, 192 

Jordan, Fanny 141 

Joyce, Bishop Isaac W 492, 533 

Judd, Orange 454 

Judd, W. J 492, 533 

Julesburg 533 

Khan Minyeh 206 

Kansas and Nebraska Conference of 

1859 224 

Kagey, J 497 

Kempton, James 303, 305 

Keeler, J. H 221, 235 

Kendall, T. R 272 

Kedron 190 

Kenny, W. A 243, 245, 367 

Kenny, H. B 557 

Kennedy, L. E 571, 579 

Kent, Mrs. Anna 320 

Kenyon, R. L. 481, 494, 526 

Kiss Refused 181 

Kidder, A. A 260 

King of Greece 211 

King Charles 275, 282, 302 

King, W. W 344 

King, H. C 260, 270, 376, 427, 588 



INDEX. 



599 



PAGE. 

Kingsley, Bishop C 284, 289, 302 

Kirkbride, C. H 270, 275, 282 

Kirkbride, S. H 568 

Kienzle, G 304 

Kimball, H. J 275 

Kinge, B. H 373 

Kirjath J'earim 187 

Klaiber, M 373 

Knight, Wm 461 

Knox, John 90, 153 

Koehler, J 373 

Kokomo 445, 482 

Koyl, C. H 460 

Kramer Settlement 350 

Kriege, C. H 373 

Frueger, F. T 372, 578 

Lajara 532, 534 

La Junta 510, 516 

Lake Park 382 

Lake City 433, 445 

Lake Geneva 154 

Lake Hulah 207 

Lacy, J. W 586 

Lakey, A. S 32 

Lakin, CD 90 

Lamar 424, 510, 520 

Lambert, J. M 352 

Langly, H. C 423 

Lander, Wyoming 494 

La Mont, Thos 40 

La Mont, Miss Kate E 41 

Laocoon , 161 

Laporte, C. R 525 

Laramie City, Wyoming 432, 453, 454 

Lasher, G 36, 38, 41, 51 

Last Prop Gone 100 

Law, H. M , 484 

Law Read 303 

Las Animas 520, 544 

Lawrence Street Church 361, 362 

Lawson, F. A 557 

Lawyer, Miss Olive 513 

Lawyer, O. L 52 

Leadville 433, 507, 511 

Leaning Tower, Italy 157 

Lebanon 209 

Ledbetter, J. H. 386 

Leach, S. V 552 

Lecturing Tour 565 

Lee, Mylo 388 

Lee, N. H 462, 479, 547 

Leeds, England 213 

Leist, J. J 373 

Leppert, D 540, 549 

Lewis, W. C. P 439 

Lewis, A. B 533 

Libby, C. L, 438 

Libby, Mrs. E. A 588 

Light, Wm 304, 333, 475 

Lightning Killed 147 

Lightwalter, A. S 543 

Liljegren, F. U 580 

Linn, J. W 505, 588 



PAGE. 

Linderman, J. W 368 

Lincoln, A 83 

Lincoln Handsome 141 

List of Sunday-school Superintend- 
ents in Denver 367 

List of Presiding Elders 364, 584 

List of Delegates to General Con- 
ference 585 

Little Hermon 205 

Livingston, Mrs. H 515, 529, 541 

Lloyd, W. S 240, 249, 258 

London, England 153 

Lockport, Ohio 111 

Locke, D. R 34 

Long, Major 218 

Long, J. A 463 

Long, J. B 508 

Longhead, S. D 444 

Lookout Mountain 147 

Loomis, A. L. P 181, 207, 212 

Longmont 354, 436, 456, 520, 527 

Lovett, Noble 34, 150 

Love-feast Tickets 32 

Loveland 268, 431, 436, 510, 520, 

563, 565 

Loveland, W. A. H 388, 432 

Lough Foyle 153 

Louisville 118, 533 

Lycan, Wm 252 

Lycan, James. 252 

Lycabettus 211 

Lyon, A.J 535 

Lyon, Miss C 535 

Lynch, J. T 388 

Lucas, A. H 501 

Lupton 267, 437, 523, 562 

Madison, W. C 497 

Madam Tussaud's Wax Figures 153 

Magi 156 

Machebeuf, Bishop 222, 241 

Major, J. M 385 

Magdala 206 

Manly, R. W 455, 588 

Manitou 317 

Mann, E. A 385 

Manchester, T 375 

Masonic Hall 366, 400 

Masonic Cemetery 287 

Manning, Samuel 195, 205 

Mallalieu, Bishop W. F 66 

Mague, L 460 

Mansfield, J. M 393 

Mappin, W. F 352 

Martin, Samuel 35, 51 

Martin, J. H 367 

Martin, J. W 557 

Mark, J. M 514 

Marsh, E. J 459, 479 

Marshman, A 466 

Marshall, E. E. 532, 534 

Mars' Hill, Athens 211 

Markham, L. A. 

Mar-saba i< 




6oo 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Maxwell, E 219 

Matthews, O. P 33, 56 

Maumee Swamps 63 

Mayence 213 

Mayo, H. M 590 

McClelland, George 377 

McClelland, J. F 374 

McClain 233, 284 

McDade, R. H 459 

McDonald, Mrs 381 

McDowell, W. F 403, 535 

McDowell, David 94 

McElphatrick, W. A 520, 523 

Mcllheran 423 

Mclntyre, R 522 

McKay, O. F 514 

McKay, I. F 520, 525 

McLaughlin, James 306 

McEeod 335 

McMains, O. P 275, 282, 296, 319, 

321, 558 

McNabb, John 84, 86 

McNabb, Joseph 84 

McNabb, R. E 84 

McNutt, P 349, 412, 476, 507 

McPherson, Mrs 258, 265 

McPherson, Belle 258 

McPherson, Henry 258 

Mead, J 371 

Mead, E- F 380 

Merrill, Bishop S. M 371, 572 

Merrill, O. F 540, 578 

Merritt, J. H 260, 347 

Merritt, Mrs. F. H 588 

Memorial Gift 401 

Methodist Episcopal Church, 

South 385 

Miller, M. W 18 

Miller, Adam 97 

Miller, W. G 383 

Miller, J. K 369, 432 

Miller, A. H 454, 557 

Miller, E. F 459, 509, 558 

Milleson, Elijah 250 

Milleson's Mission 381 

Milleson, O. C 371 

Millington, F. C 271, 324, 588 

Mirage 262 

Milan, Italy 155 

Mills, Judge 397 

Mills, A. P 72 

Mills, J. W 458 

Ming, John 358 

Milnes, C. G 415 

Milton Church 476 

Mine Explosion 307 

Mineral Springs 219 

Mitchell, General 124 

Moderate Drinking 87, 88 

Modesty Veiled 166 

Moffitt, D. H 388 

Moffitt, J. E. 425. 467, 559 

Monument 323 

Monholland, Rev 230 



PAGE. 

Montrose 501 

Mons Capitolinus 162 

Monte Vista 507 

Montfort, C. B 549 

Montfort, J. H 557 

Montgomery 258 

Moore, J. R 324, 431, 476, 477 

Moore, D. H 282, 442, 448, 533 

Moore, O. J 507 

Moorehead, I. N 384, 507 

Moonlight Ride at Suez 184, 185 

Morrison 314, 322, 456, 492, 533 

Morrison, F 368 

Morrison, A. A 385 

Morrison Memorial 386 

Morrison, J. H 388, 393 

Morris, J. C 385 

Morgan, John 123 

Morgan, Miss S. E 391 

Morse Church Camp-meeting 35 

Mosque of Omar 194 

Moville 153 

Mosser, Mrs 461 

Mountain Citj' 221 

Mont Cenis Tunnel 154 

Mount Hermon 204, 207, 209 

Mount Ida 210 

Mount Moriah 197, 201 

Mount Vernon Canon 313 

Mount Zion 197 

Mund, H. H 374 

Munich 212 

Mullen, B. A 461 

Murfreesboro, Tenn 139 

Multer, L,ewis 34 

Multer, Joseph 138 

Multer, Philip 138 

Murphey, T. M 428 

Murphey, W 580 

Murat, Mrs 222 

Murray, George 259, 276, 282, 287 

Musgrove, J. T 459, 579 

Musgrove, Mrs 588 

My Mother 478 

Myers, R. E 582 

Myers, W. E 373 

Myrtle Hill 429 

Nablus, Palestine 203 

Nain, Palestine 205 

Naples, Italy 164 

Napoleon 217 

Nashville Circuit 99 

Nashville, Tenn 126 

Navajo Indians 522, 533 

Nation Defenders 84 

Nazareth 204 

Neighbors Too Close 323 

Newcomerstown Circuit 96 

New Suit, First Worn in Death 108 

New Testament, Saved Him 134 

Newgate Prison, England 153 

Newman, Bishop J. P 41 

Nevada 412 



INDEX. 60 1 



PAGE. 

Nichols, Horace 28 

Nichols, M 532 

Nicholson, E 367, 372 

Ninde, Bishop W. X 532 

Nineveh Corners 72, 75 

Noble, W. A 554 

North Amherst 58 

North Denver 332, 375, 376, 427, 444 

North Fork Circuit 556 

North Harpersfield, N. Y 19 

North Orange Circuit 78 

Noph of Scripture 180 

Norviel, J. N 549, 557 

Nottingham, W. W 267 

Nottingham, E 267 

No Sabbaths 257, 259 

Nubk 193 

Oakes 383 

Off to the Army 97 

Olds, B. E 481, 586 

Oliver, G. S 501, 508, 534 

Olivet 195, 198 

Olympic Games, Greece 211 

On 176 

Oney, J. H 386 

Only One Saved . 70 

Ordination Services 77 

Orange Circuit 81 

Orient 176, 186 

Ordway 470 

Orton, O. E 578 

Osborn, W. B 268 

Osborn, George 334 

Osborn, Rose 377 

Osborne, H. R 534 

Osburn, Wm 455 

Outposts 293 

Ouray 431, 433, 435 

Overton Hills 132 

Over the Range 287 

Overland Cotton-mills 383 

Packard, W. T 519 

Pagosa Springs 556 

Palatine Hill, Rome 157 

Palmer, General... 1 455 

Palmer Eake 315 

Palestine Rambles 185 

Paonia. 556 

Pantheon, Rome 163 

Pansa, Pompeii 170 

Panther's Cry 339 

Parachute \ 540 

Parker, Samuel 76 

Parker, F. W 371 

Parker, Joseph 153 

Parker, A 461 

Parsons, E. 0 372 

Parthenon, Greece 211 

Paris, France 153 

Passmore, F. F 481, 524 

Patmos 210 

Paulson, P. A 539 



PAGE. 

Payne, A. G 519 

Peck, J. T 80 

Peck, J. E 298 

Peck, A. C 485, 554 

Peck, Mrs. F. E 486 

Pearce, W 529 

Pease, W. D 366, 501, 452 

Pedagogism 27 

Pender, J. T 570 

Pentelicus 211 

Peterson, P 290, 368 

Petefish, D. H 248, 273 

People's Tabernacle 435 

Pepper, George W 96 

Perry, W. E 472, 573 

Petroleum V. Nasby 95 

Phillips, G. S 275, 389, 588 

Phillips, Mrs. Rachel 80 

Phillips, Philip 156 

Phillips, W. J 385 

Phifer, W. D 379 

Pierce, G. M 324, 454 

Pierce, B. R 547 

Pierce, Miss Mary Bell 547 

Pike, Captain 218 

Pike's Peak and Cherry Valley Mis- 
sion 322, 583 

Pine Street, Pueblo 540 

Pisa 156 

Pisgah 198 

Pitkin 445 

Plain of Sharon 186 

Plain View 435 

Planter, What is He Doing Here?. . . 129 

Plateau Circuit 577 

Platte River Circuit 266 

Platteville 267, 430, 477, 559, 562 

Pleasant View 312, 425, 516, 572 

Pleasant Prairie 557 

Pleasure Saunterings 343 

Plested, W 511, 568, 588 

(t Plumb" Creek 314 

Plumb, "Dr. Crary's 347 

Plummer, J. E 302 

Plymouth Circuit 71 

Pocket Edition 321 

Poe, Adam 59 

Polycarp 210 

Pompeii 166, 168 

Pompey's Pillar 176, 198 

Poole, T 459 

Porter, N 519 

Post, J. J 577 

Potter, Miss F. E 485 

Powel, Henry 96 

Powel, Joseph 96, 469 

Pozzuoli 166 

Prague 213 

Preach for Souls 57 

Preston, J. R 375 

Price, W. C 504 

Primitive Housekeeping. .. .232, 265, 236 

Prohibition 81, 522, 524 

Pumped Out 213 



602 INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Pueblo 260, 492, 520 

Puteoli 166 

Pyramids 178, 182 

Quakers 21, 72 

Quarries of Solomon 201 

Queirolo 166 

Rabb, J 440 

Rachel's Tomb 188 

Rader, J. R 488 

Rader, D. I, 5° 2 , 5 6t 

Rader, M. A 542 

Ragersville, Ohio 98 

Railroad Loop 311 

Ramsey, O. L 519, 5 61 

Ralston 271 

Raney, L- M 267 

Raphael 161 

Rawlins, Wyoming 455, 464, 482, 

437, 49i 

Ray, G. W 5 1 2, 579 

Red Sea 183 

Red Cliff. 445 

Reed, John S 241, 303 

Reitze, H 226, 231, 356 

Reichard, F 373 

Refused to Marry Them 307 

Remington 60 

"^Reports of Presiding Elders 351, 

411, 412, 426, 432, 437, 438, 444, 
464, 481, 491, 494, 505, 507, 510, 
520, 527, 528, 533, 534, 544, 548, 577 

Reynolds, George 302 

Reynolds, Mrs. R 561 

Rhodes, R. H 421 

Rhodes, W. P 579 

Rhine 154, 213 

Rhone 154 

Richardson, George 275, 281, 302, 

362, 338, 459 

Richardson, T. M 259 

Richardson, Mrs. J. B 390 

Richardson, S. M 393 

Rider, E 375 

Rickards, J. E 260, 411, 416, 426 

Riddick, C. B 385 

Rifle Circuit 525, 534, 539 

Rialto 156 

Rice, E.J 321, 324, 476 

Ridgeway 458 

Ripley, H 431 

Rippetoe, R. E 422, 452, 510, 548 

Roberts College 210 

Roberts, J. B 386 

Robber's Glen , 202 

Robinson, M.J 445, 540 

Robinson, J. R .460, 586 

Rocky Mountain Christian Advo- 
cate 501, 567, 580 



PAGE. 

Roby, W. C 415, 480 

Rocky Ford 510, 549 

Rogers, L. C 236, 270 

Rogers, Miss Fanny A 236 

Rogers, George B 422 

Rogers, B. M 509 

Rogers, S.J 555 

Roker, Mrs 222 

Rome 157, 162 

Rosedale 380, 429 

Rosita 417, 426, 428 

Royal George. . . s 261 

Ross, D ' 271 

Rowen, Rev 237 

Rotterdam 213 

Roworth, W. M 393 

Royce, Mary E 302 

Rozzells, Ashley 139 

Rudd, Lieutenant-Governor 258 

Rushville, Indiana 136 

Russell, Greene - 218 

Russell Gulch 514, 533 

Russian Lady's Gift 194 

Sage, Rev 65, 66 

Sage, W. A 578 

Saguache 266, 472 

Salida 459, 492 

Salina 437 

Salsburg, Austria 212 

Samaria 203 

Samothracia 210 

Sampson, A.J 367 

Sanctification, Entire 42, 48, 508, 

5H, 518, 522, 527 

Sand Creek Fight 252 

Sanderson, R 572 

Sangre-de-Christo Pass 264, 350 

San Luis Valley 261, 266 

Sans Culotte 411 

Santissimo Bambino 164 

Sapp, M. F 575 

Sasseen, J. R 551 

Saul's Conversion 208 

Sawdon, Miss H. E 574 

Schultz.J.J 373 

Schlessinger, Miss Matilda 356 

Scott, Bishop Levi 56, 224, 583 

Scott, Dr. D. W 271, 452 

Scott, J. H 428 

Scripps, H. C 520 

Scudder, E 388 

Scotland 153, 215, 564 

Sea of Galilee 205 

Sea of Marmora 211 

Seminary, New York Conference.. 29, 40 

Seminary, Colorado 282, 395 

Servia 563 

Seckner, H. D 507 

Sevarts, A. J 270 



* "Which are on file with the Conference Secretary. None others were accessible 
to the compiler. 



INDEX. 



603 



PAGE. 

Scalp Dangling 323 

Sears, S. W 412, 466 

Shaffner, H.J 331, 332, 368 

Shaffner, Mrs. M 588 

Shanesville, Ohio 97, 101 

Shannon, J. R 482, 554 

Sharp, J. W 142 

Shaw, R 256 

Shawber, J 431, 504 

Shattuck, J. C 500 

Shattuck, H. L, 367 

Shears, Henry. 22 

Sheldon, Miss C. E 509 

Shepherd, Wm 345 

Shilo 202 

Sheriff, R 375 

Shea, Frank 381 

Shocks 471 

Shockley, A. D 521 

Shobra Gardens 179 

Shunem 205 

Siberlain 87 

Silver Plume 533 

Silverton 445 

Siloam 201, 202 

Simmons, C. W 546 

Simpson, Bishop M 282, 431, 481 

Simpson Mission 378, 421 

Simon, R 411 

Sinnock, J. W 340 

Singleton, J. H 479 

Sinsabaugh, H 369, 433 

Sisson, T. E 577 

Skene, George 348, 367, 410, 416 

Skewes, H 416 

Slaughter, W. B...258, 261, 272, 275, 361 

Slater, A 235 

Slavery Viewed Differently 144 

Slaugh, Colonel 242, 251 

Slicer, H 311 

Slicer, T. R 311, 339, 345, 412 

Slutz, W. L, 271, 415, 481 

Small, Samuel 539, 544 

Smith, W. M 271, 282, 296 

Smith, J. W 52, 54, 56, 388 

Smith, Jesse 271, 291, 298 

Smith, P.J 259, 275, 301, 304 

Smith, Miss Mary 340 

Smith, J. A 412, 430, 466 

Smith, I,. C 524 

Smith, P 471 

Smith, G. H 379 

Smith, Joel E 583, 588 

Smyrna 210 

Snake River 340 

Snow Peaks 288, 289 

Snowden, D. H 430 

Snyder, Z, X 586 

Socrates 211 

Soggs, D 332, 363, 375 

Solfaterra 167 

Solomon's Pools 188 

Songs of a Wounded Soldier 130 

South Denver Mission 378 



PAGE. 

South Eleventh Street Mission 382 

South Park. 244 

South Pueblo 426 

Spencer, C. B 502, 503, 566 

Spencer, W. A 461 

Spelling-schools 26 

Spirit Baptism 77 

Sphinx 183 

Sprague, Ira S 544 

Spurgeon, C. H 153, 213 

Stabler, A. K 552 

Stayt,J.A 433 

Stamp, C. W 386 

Standing Guard 304 

Starr, M. L, 61 

Stanton, J. W 235, 240, 270, 305 

Stateler, D. B 267 

Statistics of 1860-61-62 239 

Statistics of 1863 274 

Statistics of 1869 291 

Statistics of 1872 349 

Statistics of 1892 557 

Statistics of the Spanish Work 328 

Steck, Amos 388 

Steele, W. F 405, 568 

Steele Daniel 57 

Stevens, Thomas 477 

Stevens, Mrs. T 493 

Stevens, Rev 288 

Stevens, George O 336 

Stevens, C. H 555 

Stickles, James 270 

Stiles, Baxter 368 

Steamboat Springs 574 

Stocks, J 348, 417, 688 

Stout, James 99 

Strasburg 154 

Story, T. A 418, 504 

Streeter 454 

St. Albans, England 21 

St. Callixtus 160 

St. Jerome 161 

St. James, Denver 331, 432, 549, 371 

St. John, C. H 464 

St. John's African M. E. Church 372 

St. John's Church in the Wilderness. 385 

St. Mark's Church, Venice 156 

St. Steven's Gate, Jerusalem 199 

St. Peter's, Rome 158, 186 

St. Sophia.. 373 

Summers, D 419 

Summers, Miss Maggie 419 

Sumner, A. E 377 

Sullivan Circuit, Ohio 77, 81 

Summaries 583 

Sutherlin, H 573 

Sunshine 426 

Swift, G. W 271, 299, 345, 412 

Suez Canal 183 

Sylla, Miss C. I, 531 

Tabor Grand Opera-house 364 

Tanner, J 373 

Tappin, L. N 358 

Taxton, Miss M. E 478, 581 



604 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Taylor, Wm 77 

Taylor, Col. Jacob 146, 457 

Taylor, B. F 271, 421 

Taylor, D 478 

Taylor, W. I. 569 

Tedious Preaching 364 

Teachout, H 461 

Telescope 408 

Teller, H. M 289, 393 

Tell, William 154 

Telluride 429, 482 

Tell-el-Kady 207 

Temperance Work 111 

Temple of Solomon 197 

Temple Platform 200 

Ten Tribes 203 

Terry, M. S 41 

Terry, Seth 520, 527 

The True Sabbath 564 

Thirsty Travelers 287 

Thomson, Bishop K 284, 285 

Thomas, General 129, 143, 149 

Third German Mission 373 

Thomas, F. F 544 

Thompson, L. C 578 

Thornton, S. A 271, 482, 446 

Thornton, Mrs. S. A 588 

Tibe 187 

Tiber 158 

Tiberias 205 

Tindal, Faston 304 

Tin-horn 259 

Tintoretto. 156 

Titian 156 

Titus, the Roman General 162, 198 

Titus, Robert 21 

Titus, Jacob 22 

Todd, Samuel L 540, 588 

Todd, B. F 548, 588 

Tolby, F. J 296 

Tonquin,John 450 

Tower of David 199 

Tower of London 153 

Trance 80 

Trayer, E 54 

Transfiguration 161 

Trend of Life Changed 252 

Tregonning, Miss M. J 555 

Treloar, J. P 430 

Trieste, Austria 211 

Trinidad 324, 476, 478, 549 

Trinity Church, Denver. . . .363, 501, 

511. 55o 

Triumphant Deaths 113, 253, 467 

Trowbridge, G. E 510 

Tucker Brothers 302 

Tullahoma, Tenn 146 

Turin, Italy 155 

Turkey Creek Camp 323 

Turks 205 

Tuttle, G. E 492 

Turtles Escaped 204 

Tyler, CM 393 



PAGE. 

Uffizi Gallery 156 

Union Evangelical University 394 

University of Denver 392, 397, 

399, 402, 403, 405 

University Park Church 380 

Upper Room 199 

Upper Pool of Gihon 201 

United States Christian Commis- 
sion 97, 117 

Ute Indians 339 

Utter, Stephen 340 

Uzzell, T. A 433 

Uzzell, C. S 450 

Vallow, J. L 529 

Valverde 379, 429 

Van Law, George S 367 

Van Pelt, J. R 406, 569 

Van Valkenberg, R.J 299 

Veta Pass 264 

Variety 411 

Vasquez, Fort 267 

Vawter, J. G 388 

Vatican 161 

Veeder, J. C 532 

Venable, Mrs 352 

Veasy, L. M 392 

Venice, Italy 155, 212 

Vernon, L- M 156 

Verona 212 

Versailles, France 153 

Vesuvius 172 

Veiled Christ 166 

Veterans 84 

Vevay 154 

Vice Conceived 165 

Victor 571 

Via Appia 160 

Via Sacra 162 

Vincent, B. T 294, 426, 533 

Vincent, Mrs. M. Ella 271 

Vincent, Leon H, 271 

Vincent, Mrs. H 434 

Vincent, Bishop J. H 576 

Virden, N. H 270 

Virgil's Tomb 166 

Vosseller, D. B 542, 555 

Wadsworth, B. F 270 

Wads worth, J. T 460 

Walden, Bishop J. M 509 

Wallace, George 299, 321 

Wallace, Miss J. E 575 

Waltz, H. C 271, 346, 588, 410 

Wanless, G. F 367 

Ward, E 467, 534 

Warner, Henry 62, 63 

Warner, Jonas 112 

Warner, Je«se, 113 

Warner, Millard 113 

Warner, H. E 546 

Warner, S. B 571 

Warren, W. F 321, 282, 297 

Warren, W. H 385 



INDEX. 



605 



PAGE. 

Warren, W. T 386 

Warren,. A 423, 428 

Warren, Bishop H. W. .428, 444, 509, 566 

Warren, Mrs. E. Iliff. 399, 481 

Washburn, B. A 420, 478, 563 

Water Straight 206, 287 

Watkins, T. C 412 

Watson, Samuel , 74 

Watson, R 61 

Watson, J. V 240 

Waterville 69 

Waugh, Bishop B 56, 69 

Weaver, Bishop 66 

Weaver, W. R 577 

Webber, S. A 542, 555 

We are an Officer 264 

West Denver Mission 371 

West Denver German Church 373 

West Eas Animas 332, 426 

Weston, M. A 460 

Weston, S 147 

Westminster Abbey 153 

Wesley, John 60, 61 

Wesley Chapel 381 

Webster, D 247 

Wells, J. E 33, 36 

Wells, Mrs. E. N 531 

Welborn, Miss A. M 529 

Welch, George S 501 

Welty, Levi 323 

Wellington, Ohio , 58 

Wet Mountain Valley 261, 353, 417 

Wheat Ridge 422, 479, 494 

Wheeler, B. A 367, 410 

Wheeler, E- N 410 

White, J. F 271, 436 

White, Kent 515 

White, Edgar 541, 588 

Whisler,J 496, 580 

Whipple, W 519 

Whitsett, R. E 388 

Whiteman, Henry 58 

Where the Colorado Conference Was 

Organized 359 

Willard, O. A.. 270, 272, 275, 278, 362, 387 

Willard, Mrs. M. B 246, 390 

Willard, Miss Frances E 246 

Willing, Mrs. J. F 560 

Williams, Mrs. M. P 546 

Williams, S. P 546 

Williams, J. H 233, 469 



PAGE. 

Williams, W. H 521 

Wild, J 375 

Wiley, Bishop Isaac W 430, 457, 481 

Wilcox, E. J 489 

Wilcox, M. C 509 

Widner, A.. 388 

Wilmot, Ohio • 103 

Wiltsee, T. E 511 

Willow Grove Camp-meeting 333 

Wilson, J 447, 588 

Wilson, Mrs. E. E. R 588 

Winne Peter 367 

Windham Circuit 30. 51, 57 

Winsor, S. A 457 

Winsor, Thomas 481 

Winsor Society 381, 517 

Wise, D 77 

Without Breeches 411 

Witter, D 392 

Witter, H 393 

Wright, O. P 581 

Wright, Mrs. E 460 

Wriston, H. E 505 

Wolff, Albert 302 

Wolff, Alfred 558 

Wood, Aaron 375 

Wood, J. R 382, 516, 562 

Wood-sawyer 464 

Woodbury, H 377 

Worms 213 

Woman's Chair Endowed 402 

Woman's Home Missionary So- 
ciety 544 

Wycliff Cottage 405 

Wyoming Mission 525 

Yank Preach 148 

Yell 132 

Young, Aaron 92 

Young, Andy 97 

Young, Jacob 77 

Young, B ••••■539 

Your Child is Dead 97 

Zabdaney 199 

Zacheus 193 

Zaghlah 209 

Zebold, C. C . ....463, 588 

Zion's Baptist Church 372 

Zwingli 154 

Zurich, Switzerland 154 




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